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A   GRAMMAR 


OF   THE 


Irish  Language 


FOR    THE    USE    OF    SCHOOLS. 


BY 


P.  W.  JOYCE,   LL.  D.,  T.  0.  D„  M.  K.  I.  A. 


of  >atiosal  Education,  Ireland. 


NE?   YOKE: 
PRINTED    BY   LYNCH.    COLE   &   1IEEIIAN, 

AT  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  "IRISH-AMERICAN," 

No.  13  WiRRES  STREET. 

1879. 


X 


PREFACE. 


Though  this  text-book  is  small,  it  comprises,  I  believe,  everything 
necessary — so  far  as  grammar  is  concerned— for  a  student  of  modern 
Irish.  I  have  not  treated  at  all  of  the  ancient  forms  of  the  language; 
and  I  have  excluded  everything  in  the  shape  of  dissertation:  the 
grammar  of  the  modern  Irish  language,  and  no  more,  Is  here  set 
forth,  in  words  as  few  and  simple  as  possible.  I  have  not  suggested 
any  changes  either  in  spelling  or  in  grammatical  forms,  or  attempted 
innovation  of  any  kind:  this  is  a  grammar  of  the  language  as  it  ac- 
tually exists  in  the  works  of  our  best  writers.  All  the  illustrative  ex- 
amples are  quotations  from  standard  Irish  writings;  but  though  I  re- 
tain the  relecences,  I  have  not  given  them  in  the  grammar,  as  they 
would  encumber  the  book,  and  impede,  rather  than  facilitate  the 
learner.  I  may  mention  here,  however,  that  the  works  from  which 
the  examples  are  chiefly  taken,  are,  those  of  Keating,  the  publications 
of  the  Ossianic  Society,  "The  Three  Sorrowful  Stories  of  Erin"  (viz., 
"  The  Fate  of  the  Children  of  Usna,"  "The  Fate  of  the  Children  of 
Lir,"  and  "The  Fate  of  the  Children  of  Turenn  "),  and  occasionally 
"The  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters."  The  language  of  the  various 
works  published  by  the  Arclneol<>gical  and  Celtic  Societies  is  general- 
ly too  antiquated  to  be  quoted  in  a  grammar  of  modern  Irish.  I  have 
all  through  given  word-for-word  translations  of  the  exam  pies :  free 
translations  would  have  been  more  pleasant  to  read,  but  would  have 
added  considerably,  to  the  learner's  difficulty.  In  the  last  Part— 
"Idioms"— I  have  given  a  popular  rather  than  a  scientific  explana- 
tion of  the  principal  idioms  of  the  language.  Nothing  like  this  is  to 
be  found  in  any  other  Irish  Grammar ;  and  I  believe  that  the  learner 
who  masters  it  wdl  be  saved  much  labor  and  perplexity.  There 
are  several  other  Irish  Grammars,  but  none  low  enough  in  price  to 
be  within  reach  of  the  many.  Whoever  wishes  to  study  the  Irioh  lan- 
guage in  its  ancient  as  well  as  in  its  modern  forms,  must  procure 
O' Donovan's  Grammar ;  without  this  great  work  no  one  can  attain  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  language.  I  may  also  mention  "  The  Col- 
lege Irish  Grammar,"  by  the  Rev.  Ulick  J.  Canon  Bourke,  in  which 
th«re  is  a  great  amount  of  miscellaneous  information  on  the  language, 
proverbs,  and  popular  literature  of  Ireland.  The  labors  of  the  Society 
for  the  Preservation  of  the  Irish  Language  have  lately  given  a  great 
impetus  to  Celtic  studies.  The  Society  has  produced  three  admirable 
little  elementary  books  (the  First,  Second  and  Third  Irish  Books),— all 
drawn  up  by  the  members  themselves  on  the  plan  of  the  elementary 
works  of  Smith,  Arnold,  Ann,  &c.  But  the  want  of  a  very  cheap  and 
simple  text-book  on  Irish  Grammar  has  been  much  felt;  and  this 
Grammar  has  been  written  to  supply  the  want.  I  have  written  it 
with  the  cognisance  of  the  Council  of  the  Society,  of  which  I  am  my- 
self a  member.  It  was  at  first  intended  that  the  name  of  the  Society 
should  appear  on  the  title-pag9  along  with  my  own  name,  and  a  reso- 
lution to  that  effect  was  passed  by  the  Council.  But  I  found  some 
difficulty  as  to  the  exact  words,  and  I  have  accordingly  contented 
myself  with  mentioning  the  matter  here.  I  acknowledge  with  thanks 
tnat  I  have  received  valuable  assistance  from  several  gentlemen  of  the 
Society,  who  read  every  word  of  my  proofs,  suggesting  various  cor- 
rections, alterations,  and  improvements.  One  member  in  particular, 
Mr  John  Fleming,  of  Rathgormack,  in  the  county  Waterford,  read  all 
my  manuscript  in  the  fust  instance,  and  all  the  proof-sheets  after- 
wards Mr.  Fleming's  assistance  was  invaluable  to  me,  for  he  posses- 
ses an  intimate  knowledge  of  modern  Irish  Grammar,  language,  and 
literature,  and,  what  is  still  better,  much  sound  sense  and  clear,  criti- 
cal judgment. 
Dublin,  November,  1878. 


M544715 


CONTENTS. 

PART  I. 
ORTHOGRAPHY. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  I—  Sounds 9 

I.  Letters 11 

II  Diphthongs 12 

in.  Triphthongs 13 

rv.  Various  Sounds 13 

CHAPTER  II.— Letter  Changes 14 

I.  Aspiration 14 

ii.  Rules  for  Aspiration 15 

in.  Eclipsis .- 16 

iv.  Rules  lor  Eclipsis 17 

v.  CaoI  le  c<vol  <V5U]*  leacAn  le  le<vc<vn 18 

vi.  Syncope 19 

PART  II. 

ETYMOLOGY. 

CHAPTER  I.— The  Article , .  21 

I.  Change  of  form  in  the  Article 21 

n.  Changes  produced  by  the  Article . . .  22 

Singular 22 

Plural 22 

CHAPTER  II.— The  Noun 23 

I.  Gender 23 

Masculine 23 

Feminine 23 

n.  Declensions .' 24 

Cases 24 

First  Declension 25 

Second  Declension 26 

Third  Declension 28 

Fourth  Declension 29 

Fifth  Declension 30 

Irregular  Declension 30 

Declension  of  the  Article  with  the  Noun 32 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTEK  ni— The  Adjective .PA32 

I.  Declension  of  Adjectives 32 

First  Declension 33 

Second  Declension 33 

Third  Declension 33 

Fourth  Declension 34 

n.  Declension  of  the  Article  and  Adjective  with  the  Noun 34 

111.  Comparison  of  Adjectives 35 

Irregular  Comparison 36 

rv.  Numeral  Adjectives 36 

CHAPTER  IV.— The  Pronoun 38 

I.  Personal  Pronouns — 38 

Declension  of  Personal  Pronouns 38 

Personal  Pronouns  compounded  with  Prepositions 39 

rr.  Possessive  Pi  onouns 42 

Possessive  Pronouns  compounded  with  Prepositions 42 

ni.  Eelative  Pronouns 43 

iv.  Demonstrative  Pronouns 43 

v.  Interrogative  Pronouns 44 

vi.  Indefinite  Pronouns 44 

CHAPTER  V.-The  Verb 44 

1.  Persons:  Synthetic  and  Analytic  forms 44 

11.  Tenses 46 

in.  Moods  and  Voices 46 

iv.  Conjugation   of  the   regular  verb  bu<v|l 47 

rv.  Eelative  form  of  the  Verb 49 

v.  Formation  and  uses  of  the  moods  and  tenses  of  Regular 

Verbs 49 

vi.  Verbs  in  U13,  il,  ]V,  W,  IT 53 

Paradigm  of  the  regular  Verb  njeall 55 

Paradigm  of  the  regular  Verb  &fxfc>iti5 56 

vn.  Irregular  Verbs: 57 

1.  C<v|rr),   lam 57 

2.  jr,  it  is 60 

3.  Dt)einitT),  I  give 61 

4.  Deiriirt),  I  bear 62 

5.  Cl)jrr),  I  see 63 

6.  Cluit)iTt),  I  bear 64 

7.  De<vnAirt),  I  do 64 

8.  5nfn>,  or  i)frt),  I  do 65 

9.  Oe,THTT;,  I  say 66 

10.  ^AS^irr),  or  5e-|bin),  I  find 67 

11.  Jqti},  I  eat 68 


Viii  CONTEXTS. 

PAGE 

13.  12131").  l  reach 68 

13.  Ce]6]n),  I  go 69 

14.  Ci3in),  I   come 70 

Other  Defective  Verbs 70 

CHAPTER  VI.— Adverbs,   Prepositions,  Conjunctions,  In- 
terjections    71 

i  Adverbs 71 

n.  Prepositions 72 

in.  Cod j  unctions 74 

rv.  Interjections 75 

CHAPTER  VII— Prefixes  and  Affixes 75 

I.  Prefixes 75 

n.  Affixes  or  terminations 77 

PART  III. 
SYNTAX. 

CHAPTER  I— Nouns 79 

CHAPTER  II.— The  Article  and  Noun ...  81 

CHAPTER  III.— The  Adjective  and  Noun 82 

Agreement  and   collocation  of  the   Adjective   and 

Noun , 82 

CHAPTER  IV.— Numeral  Adjectives 85 

CHAPTER  V— The  Pronoun 86 

I.  Personal  Pronouns 86 

ii.  Possessive  Pronouns 86 

ttt.  Relative  Pronouns 87 

rv.  Demonstrative  Pronouns 88 

v.  Interrogative  and  Indefinite  Pronouns 88 

CHAPTER  VI.— The  Verb 88 

CHAPTER  VIL— Prepositions 91 

PAPvT   IV. 

IDIOMS. 

Explanation  and  illustration   of  forty-three  Idioms  of  the 

Irish  Languge 93 

APPENDIX. 

Additional  examples  of  declensions  of  nouns 110 


SCHOOL 
IRISH     GRAMMAR 


PART    I, 

ORTHOGRAPHY 


CHAPTER    I. 
SOUNDS. 

I.    LETTERS. 

1.  The  Irish  alphabet  consists  of  eighteen  letters,  of  which 
thirteen  are  consonants  and  five  are  vowels. 

2.  The  five  vowels  are  <\,  e,  -|,  o,  u,  of  which  <v,  o,  u  are  broad, 
and  e,  -j  are  slender. 

3.  Each  consonant  (with  the  exceptions  mentioned  below)  has 
a  broad  and  a  slender  sound.  When  a  consonant  comes  imme- 
diately after  or  before  a  broad  vowel,  it  has  its  broad  sound: 
when  it  comes  after  or  before  a  slender  vowel,  it  has  its  slender 
sound.  But  this  does  not  apply  to  b,  p,  1),  "),  P,  each  of  which 
has  one  sound  only,  whether  joined  with  a  broad  vowel  or  a 
slender  vowel. 

4.  Vowels  are  either  long  or  short.  A  long  vowel  is  usually 
marked  by  an  accent;  as  b&n,  white:  a  short  vowel  has  no  mark; 
as  Tt)<vc,  a  son. 

5.  The  Iiish  vowels,  like  the  English,  have  an  obscure  sound  in 
unaccented  syllables,  of  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  take  further 
notice  here. 


10  OETHOGEAPHT.  [PAUT    I. 

6.  The  following  are  the  usual  sounds  of  the  Irish  letters,  so 
lar  as  they  can  be  represented  by  English  letters: — 

7.  Those  marked  with  asterisks  are  only  imperfectly  represent- 
ed in  sound  by  the  corresponding  English  letters:  those  not  so 
marked  are  represented  nerlectly  or  nearly  so. 

8.  The  sounds  of  the  marked  letters  must  be  learned  by  car;  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  give  in  writing  such  a  description  of  them  as 
would  enable  a  learner  to  utter  them. 

9.  C  is  equal  to  k,  yet  when  it  comes  before  the  diphthong  <\o, 
or  the  thriphthong  ao],  beginners  find  it  very  hard  to  sound  it: 
c<xol  (narrow)  is  neither  kad  nor  quail,  but  something  between; 
c<voin  (gentle)  is  neither  keen  nor  queen,  but  something  between 

10.  So  also  with  5,  which  (broad  and  slender)  is  equal  to  g  in 
got  and  gel:  yet  5<vol  is  hard  for  a  beginner  to  utter,  being  neither 
gail  nor  gwiil,  but  something  between. 

11.  The  Irish  broad  b  and  c  bear  the  same  relation  to  each 
other  as  the  English  d  and  t;  that  is,  the  first  in  each  case  is  flat 
and  soft,  and  the  second  sharp  and  hard.  English  d  and  /  are 
sounded  by  placing  the  tip  of  the  tongue  against  the  roof  of 
the  mouth ;  Irish  b  and  c  by  placing  the  top  of  the  tongue  against 
the  upper  front  teeth.  Irish  b  and  c  may  be  described  in  another 
way:  the  two  sounds  of  th  in  those  and  thumb  are  both  continuous, 
the  first  flat,  the  second  sharp.  Now  the  two  explosive  sounds 
corresponding  to  these  two  continuous  sounds  (i.e.,  with  the 
tongue  in  the  same  position),  are  exactly  the  Irish  b  and  c. 

12.  Broad  I  and  n  are  sounded  by  placing  the  top  of  the  tongue 
(not  against  the  roof  of   the  mouth  as   in  case  of  English  I  aud  n, 

but)  against  the  upper  front  teeth.     Irish  b  and  c  are  to  English 

d  and  t  as  Irish  I  or  X)  to  English  I  or  n. 

13.  Slender  p.  is  the  most  difficult  of  all  the  Irish  consonantal 
sounds ;  and  learners,  unless  they  have  acquired  it  in  youth,  often 
fail  to  articulate  it  correctly,  though  the  teacher  may  sound  it 
over  and  over  again  for  their  imitation. 

14.  As  h  represents  a  mere  breathing  or  aspiration,  and  not  an 
articulate  tound,  and  as  it  never  begins  a  word,  some  writers  ex- 
clude it  from  the  letters,  thus  making  seventeen  instead  of  eigh- 
teen, as  given  here. 


OH  AT.    I.] 


SOUNDS. 

TABLE  OF  SOUNDS. 


11 


- 

Letters. 

Vowel 

Consonant 

long  or 

broad  or 

Irish 

Corresponding 

short. 

slender. 

sounds. 

English  sounds. 

Irish. 

Eng. 

A 

<v 

a 

long 

_ 

l'<VT) 

lawn,  ball 

11 

») 

short 

— 

TT)<LC 

hat  or  what 

t> 

b 

b 

— 

— 

ball 

ban 

c 

c 

c 

— 

broad 

c<vb 

cob 

It 

)> 

— 

slender 

cron 

king 

4 

o 

6 

d 

— 

broad 

ball 

those 

* 

11 

>? 

— 

slender 

bl<vt) 

coral  al 

e 

e 

e 

long 

— 

Tt)e 

dote 

„ 

55 

short 

— 

— 

met 

F 

F 

f 

— 

— 

FIDO 

/m 

5 

3 

S 

— 

broad 

5071c 

got 

i) 

55 

— 

slender 

5eir 

get,  .ai inlet 

1) 

b 

h 

— 

— 

<V   h-<M)ATT) 

Aamraer 

] 

1 

i 

long 

— 

TT)lT) 

seen 

)i 

55 

short 

— 

mro 

pin 

* 

I 

I 

1 

— 

broad 

Ion 

lone 

t? 

55 

— 

slender 

file 

vermidon 

20 

") 

m 

— 

— 

mil 

mill 

* 

N 

t) 

n 

— 

broad 

T)6p 

»one 

>i 

55 

— 

slender 

r>e<\b 

new 

0 

0 

0 

lon^ 

— 

rt)6ji 

more 

'1 

55 

short 

— 

bor 

love,  run 

p 

P 

P 

— 

— 

poc 

^?ore 

1? 

TV 

r 

— 

broad 

71  6b 

road 

* 

51 

55 

— 

slender 

cuiri 

clarion 

s 

r 

s 

— 

broad 

rona 

son 

51 

ii 

— 

slender 

rfn 

s#een 

* 

c 

c 

t 

— 

broad 

con) 

thumb 

* 

5« 

55 

— 

slender 

ceine 

courteous 

u 

u 

u 

long 

— 

TT)U7l 

moor,  rui\e 

»5 

51 

short 

' 

Tl)UC 

put,  bull 

15.  The  following  are  the  native  names  of  the  Irish  letters,  but 
they  need  not  be  used  by  the  learner.  All  or  most  of  them  are 
the  names  of  trees: — &ilm,  n;  beic,  b ;  coll,  c;  b<M7i,  d ;  e<\b&, 
e;  ?e<Ki\n,f;  3071c,  g;  ttac,  h;  105a  i;  lair,  I;  rnuin  m;  nuin, 
n;  0171  or  oi)n,  0;  peic-bo5,  p;  fiuff,  r;  r^l1)  s,-  ccine,  t; 
up.  m.     . 


12  OHTHOGEAPHY.  [PAST  I. 

H.  DIPHTHONGS. 

1.  There  are  thirteen  diphthongs  in  the  Irish  language — viz.. 
<ve,  <\o,  eu,  i<v,  ua,  <v|,  e<v,  ei,  eo,  10,  iu,  01.  ay,  of  which  the 
first  five  are  always  long,  and  the  remaining  eight  are  sometimes 
long  and  sometimes  short. 

2.  The  following  are  the  sounds  of  the  five  long  diphthongs:— 

3.  -ae,  sounds  like  ay  in  slay  ;  as  ~\\<xe,  the  moon,  pronounced 
ray. 

4.  <vo,  in  the  southern  half  of  Ir  land,  sounds  nearly  like  way, 
and  in  the  west  and  north-west  something  like  we.  Tlius  rnv\0fi, 
a  steward,  is  pronounced  like  mwair  in  the  south,  and  like  mweer 
in  the  west  and  north-west. 

5.  eu  like  at  in  lair ;  as  in  feiift,  grass,  pronounced  fair,. 

6.  i<v  like  ee  in  beer;  as  in  c-|<vn,  dark- colored,  pronounced 
keer. 

7.  u<\.  nearly  like  oein  doer  ;  as  in  Lxiat),  Monday,  pronounced 
lo-an. 

8.  The  following  are  the  sounds  of  the  eight  diphthongs  that 
are  sometimes  long  and  sometimes  short.  When  these  diphthongs 
are  long  there  is  an  accent  over  one  of  the  vowels:  when  short 
there  is.no  accent: — 

9.  &1  long  has  an  accent  over  the  <v,  and  sounds  something  like 
the  awi  in  drawing ;  as  in  d\]r),  tribute,  pronounced  caw-in. 

<vi  short  is  sounded  something  like  the  a  in  valiant  or  the  o  in 
cllier;  as  in  rn<v|C,  good,  whose  sound  is  very  nearly  represented 
by  moh. 

In  Ulster,  <vi  short  is  pronounced  like  short  e'mbell;  as  in 
<vi]'ioc,  restitution,  which  is  pronounced  eshoc  in  the  north,  and 
ashoc  in  the  south  and  west. 

10.  e<t  long  has  an  accent  over  the  e,  and  sounds  like  ea  in 
bear  ;   thus  me<vn,  a  linger,  is  pronounced  mare. 

eo.  short  sounds  like  ea  in  heart  (but  shorter) ;  as  in  ■pe-Af, 
knowledge,  pronounced  /ass. 

11.  e-|  long  has  an  accent  over  the  e,  and  sounds  like  ei  in  rein; 
as  peirn,  a  course,  pronounced  raim. 

ei  short,  like  ein  sell;  as  in  ceif,  a  basket,  sounded  like  kesh. 

12.  eo  long  has  an  accent  over  the  o,  and  is  sounded  nearly 
like  long  English  o  with  a  slight  sound  of  y  before  it ;  as  in  cedl, 
music,  which  will  be  correctly  pronounced  if  a  A:  sound  is  put  be- 
fore the  word  yole 

eo  short  nearly  liken  in  shut,  with  y  before  it ;  as  in  beoc., 
drink. 

Note—  Thij  diphthong  is  short  in  only  a  very  few  words. 

13.  jo  long  has  an  accent  over  the  1,  and  sounds  very  like  ea  in 
hear  ;  as  in  ^jon,  wine,  pronounced  feen  or  fee-on. 


CHAP.    I.]  SOUNDS.  13 

^o  short,  nearly  like  short  i  :  as  in  ttjioMt,  myrrb,  which  has 
nearly  the  same  sound  as  the  first  syllable  of  mirror. 

14.  iu  long  has  an  accent  over  the  u,  and  has  the  same  sound 
as  the  diphthongal  English  u  in  tune  ;  as  in  f]U,  wortny,  which  is 
sounded  exactly  like/ew. 

1U  short  is  sounded  like  the  u  input,  with  a  y  before  it;  as  in 
pl^itc,  wet. 

15.  6]  long  has  an  accent  over  the  o,  and  is  sounded  like  the 
owi  in  owing  ;  as  in  pod,  a  while,  pronounced  foil. 

01  short  like  the  o  in  love,  with  a  very  short  i  at  the  end;  as  in 
coil,  the  will. 

16.  U]  long,  with  an  accent  over  the  ti,  is  sounded  like  ooi  in 
cooing ;  as  yxx]\,  the  eye,  pronounced  soo-il. 

uf  long,  with  an  accent  over  the  1,  has  nearly  the  same  sound 
as  we;  as  iu  bujbe,  yellow,  which  is  pronounced  bwee. 

\X]  short  is  like  the  ui  in  quill;  as  in  -puireo^,  a  lark, 
pronounced  fwishoge. 

m.   TRIPHTHONGS. 

1.  There  are  commonly  reckoned  five  trirhthongs,  which  are 
alvays  l->ng:— wo|,  eoi,  i<v],  1U1,  u<M- 

2.  <\oi  is  sounded  very  like  we,  as  in  rn<vo-|t),  wealth,  pro- 
nounced mwetn. 

3.  ec|  is  sounded  l.ke  the  yoi  in  the  combination  y6-ing ;  as  in 
peo]l,  i:esh,  which  will  be  correctly  pronounced  if  the  sound  of 
/  is  put  belore  the  combination  yu-il. 

4.  ]<s.\  is  sounded  like  eei  in  teeing  ;  as  ll<vi5,  a  physician. 

5.  i n |  like  the  ewi  in  mewing;   as  C]U10,  gentfe. 

6.  U<vi  like  ooi  in  cooing;  as  bu<vd>  strike,  which  is  sounded 
boo-il. 

7.  The  preceding  attempts  to  represent  the  sounds  of  the  diph- 
thongs and  trinlu hongs  are,  in  many  cases  mere  approximations. 
The  student  must  hear  them  pronounced  ;  and  in  no  other  way  is 
it  possible  to  learn  to  sound  tnein  correctly. 

IV.  VARIOUS  SOUNDS. 

1.  21  and  o  before  rn,  nr),  U,  or  113,  in  monosyllables,  and  often 
before  nc  and  nc,  are  sounded  in  Minister  like  the  ou  \nfo»l ;  as 
c<v.rt),  crooked,  and  coll,  hazel,  pronounced  cowm  and  c  >wl;  and 
TjleATjnc^r),  a  small  glen,  pronounced  glounthaun  ;  and  o  before 
b  and  5  has  often  the  same  sound;  as  yo^i<x]rt),  learning,  pro- 
nounced fowhm. 

2.  A  6  and  015  are  often  sounded  like  long  English  i  in  fine ;  as 
Ti<v6<vnc,  Bight,  pr.  nounced  ry-nrk ;  l<\6<vfi,  a  fork,  pronounctd 
lyre ;  Tt)<x6m,  a  breach,  pronounced  mine. 


14  OETnOGRAPHY.  [PAKT  I. 

3  The  termination  <v8  is  pronounced  in  Connaught  nearly  the 
same  as  oo :  thus  buod-cvb,  striking,  is  pronounced  'booloo  in  Con- 
naught,  but  boolrt  in  Minister. 

4.  In  the  combination  bl,  the  6  is  silent,  and  the  whole  i* 
sounded  like  I  or  11 ;  as  cobl<vb,  sleep,  pronounced  culla. 

5.  In  the  combination  In,  the  n  is  silent,  and  the  whole  ia 
sounded  like  I  or  11;  as  coln-A,  of  a  body,  pronounced  culla. 

6.  In  the  combination  bn,  the  b  is  silent,  and  whole  is  sounded 
the  same  as  t)  or  nn;  as  ce-a.bna,  the  same,  pronounced  kuina. 

7.  Final  e  is  never  entirely  silent  in  Irish  as  it  is  in  English; 
thus  rnfne,  smoothness,  is  pronounced  meena.  In  some  situations 
it  is  very  nearly  silent  in  the  modern  language;  as  in  cjioibe,  a 
heart,  pronounced  cree. 

8.  There  are  some  Irish  consonants  which,  when  they  come 
together  in  a  word,  do  not  coalesce  in  sound,  so  that  when  they 
a;-e  uttered  a  very  short  obscure  vowel  sound  is  heard  between 
them. 

This  generally  occurs  in  the  case  of  two  liquids,  or  a  liquid  and 
a  mute.  Thus  lon.5,  a  track,  is  pronounced  so  as  to  seem,  to  an 
ear  accustomed  to  English,  a  word  of  two  syllables;  not  lurg,  but 
lurrug.  Oe<vlb,  a  shape,  is  sounded,  not  dalv,  but  ddlav;  re<vjib, 
bitter,  is  sounded  sharrav ;  bopb,  proud,  is  pronounced  burrub; 
C0I5,  a  sword,  cullug.  and  so  on.  In  Irish  prosody,  however, 
such  words  as  these  count  as  only  one  syllable. 

In  the  English  language  no  such  difficulty  exists  in  regard  to 
most  of  these  letters;  they  coalesce  perfectly. in  sound,  so  that 
each  of  the  above  words  would  be  a  pure  monosyllable. 


CHAPTER     II. 

LETTER  CHANGES. 
I.  ASPIKATION. 

1.  The  term  "aspiration  "  is  .used  to  express  a  certain  change 
of  sound  suffered  by  some  of  the  Irish  consonants  under  certain 
grammatical  conditions. 

2.  It  is  impossible  to  give  a  definition  of  aspiration  that  will 
correct[y  describe  all  the  case-»,  inasmuch  as  the  changes  of  soun  I 
vary  in  kind  with  the  several  consonants  In  most  cases  the 
change  caused  by  aspiration  is  one  from  an  explosive  to  a  conti- 
nuous sound. 

3.  Thefe  are  nine  consonants  which  can  be  aspirated,  namely, 
b,  c,  b,  p,  5,  rn,  p,  r,  c ;  these  are  called  mutable  or  a-pirable 
consonants;  the  others  are  called  immutable.  The  aspira  ion  U 
denoted  either  by  placing  a  point  over  the  consonant,  as  c ;  or  by 
placing  h  after  it,  as  ch. 


CHAP.    II.]  LKTTKE   OHANGES.  18 

4.  The  following  are  the  sounds  of  the  aspirated  consonants  so 
far  as  tliey  can  be  represented  by  English  letters: — 

5.  1)1)  or  b"  is  sounded  sometimes  like  v  and  sometimes  like  w, 
and  it  often  has  a  sound  something  between  both:  as  <v  be-At),  his 
wife,  pronounced  a  van;  5<vb<vl,  a  foiv,  pronounced  gowal. 

6.  CI)  broad,  has  a  guttural  sound  which  is  not  represented  in 
English  ;  but  it  is  beard  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  word  lough, 
(Irish,  loc,)  a  lake. 

C\)  slender  (i.e.,  joined  with  a  slender  vowel)  has  a  less  gut- 
tural sound  thane  broad;  as  rnici<vll,  folly,  in  which  the  c 
sound  is  only  a  little  more  guttural  than  h  in  mee-heel. 

7.  Oh  and  5  have  the  same  sound.  When  slender,  they  are 
sounded  like  initial  y  in  English  ;  as  -a  oe<v1%  his  love,  pronounced 
'/  ynn.  Ol)  and  5  broad  have  a  guttural  sound  which  cannot  be 
represented  by  English  letters,  though  it  is  something  like  initial 
y  or  initial  w ;  it  stands  to  the  guttural  sound  of  broad  c  in  the 
relation  of  flat  to  hard.  Both  these  aspirated  letters  are  silent  at 
the  end  of  a  word;   as  pi<v6,  a  deer,  pronounced  fee  a. 

But  in  south  Munster  the  final  5  is  fully  sounded,  like  g  in  fig; 
as  Coric<vi5  (dative  of  Co|ic<vc,  Cork),  pronounced  curkig  in 
Munster,  but  curkee  elsewhere. 

8.  fl)  is  always  silent;  thus  <v.  >"|Of,  his  knowledge,  is  pro- 
nounced a  iss ;  <vn  pe<vb03,  the  plover,  pronounced  an  addogue. 

9.  9-01)  is  very  nearly  the  same  as  b,  viz.,  like  v  or  w;  as  <\ 
TT)f<vr,  his  dish,  pronounced  a  vee-as. 

10.  Ph  has  the  sound  of  /,  as  <v  pi<vn,  his  pain,  pronounced  a 
fee-an. 

11.  SI)  and  t  are  the  same  as  h ;  as  <v  f&l,  his  heel,  pronounced 
a  haul;  <x  cob<vri,  his  well,  pronounced  a  hubber. 

II.  RULES  FOR  ASPIRATION.* 

1.  The  possessive  pronouns  rno,  my;  bo,  thy;  and  <v.  his,  as, 
pirate  the  first  consonant  of  the  next  word:  as  mo  bo,  my  cow  ; 
bo  cc<\.nr),  thy  head  ;  <v  50 nx,  his  garden. 

2.  The  article  aspirates  in  the  singular  feminine,  nominative 
and  accusative  ;t  as  <\.n  be<\n,  the  woman.  (See  also  page  23, 
paragraph  6,  and  page  24.) 


*  These  rules  cannot  be  fully  understood  without  a  knowledge  of 
Etymology.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  they  apply  only  to  the 
aspirable  or  mutable  consonants. 

t  Irish  nouns  have  no  inflection  for  the  accusative  (or  objective) 
case;  hut  it  is  often  convenient  to  speak  of  nouns  in  the  accusative, 
by  which  is  meant  the  case  where  the  noun  is  the  object  of  a  transi- 
tive verb,  or  sometimes  of  a  preposition. 


16  OBTHOGKAPHT.  [PAET   I. 

S  The  article  aspirates  in  the  genitive  singular  masculine;  as 
•cut)  5111JIC,  of  the  garden. 

Notb. — This  rule  and  the  preceding  do  not  apply  to  the  letter  r. 
(See,  also,  page  23,  paragraph  6;  and  page  34.) 

4.  Tn  compound  words,  the  initial  consonant  of  the  second 
word  of  the  compound  is  aspirated  (with  a  few  exceptions):  thus 
from  ce<vnn,  a  head,  and  071&C,  a  garment,  is  funned  ce<xno- 
bp-<\c,  head-garment,  or  canopy.     (See  also  page  30,  paragraph  2). 

5.  The  interjections  <v  and  0,  as  signs  of  the  vocative  case,  as- 
pirate ;  as  <v  -pfjv,  O  man. 

6.  An  adjective  agreeing  with  a  noun  has  its  initial  consonant 
aspirated  when  the  noun  is  nominative  singular  feminine,  or  geni- 
tive singular  masculine,  or  vocative  singular  ot  both  genders  ;  and, 
according  to  O'Donovan,  in  the  nominative  plural  masculine, 
when  the  noun  ends  in  a  consonant;  as  bd  ban,  a  white  cow  ;  c<vic 
b'aiT).  of  a  white  cat;  <v  pjfi  i?)6|ri,  O  great  man;  <\  be<\.n  feirn, 
O  mild  woman;  c<vp<v]ll  bv\n<v,  white  horses.  (b  and  c  are 
sometimes  excepted :    see  page  36.) 

7.  The  initial  consonant  ot  a  verb  is  aspirated  (1)  in  the  infini- 
tive mood  by  the  particles  bo  and  <v ;  as  bo  be<\n<v6,  or  <v  i5e<tn- 
<vb\  to  do:  (2),  in  the  simple  past  tense,  active  voice ;  as  bo 
fe<vr-  re,  he  stood  :  (3)  by  the  particles  tvf,  not,  and  in'&,  if:  as  of 
lieib  rt,  she  will  not  be;  roA.  fe<\r<\m)  re,  if  he  stands; 
(4),  by  the  relative  <v,  who,  (expressed  or  understood) ;  as  -cvo  ce 
a.  bu<v|le-ar,  the  person  who  strikes.  (See  also  pages  57  and 
59.) 

8.  The  simple  prepositions,  with  some  exceptions,  aspirate  the 
initial  consonants  of  nouns :  as  <\ip  b&rifi,  on  top;  c-o  inull-cvc, 
to  a  summit;  p<vo|  5e<vn,  under  affection. 

ni    ECLIPSIS. 

1.  A  consonant  is  said  to  be  eclipsed,  or  to  suffer  eclipsis,  when 
its  sound  is  suppressed,  and  the  sound  ot  another  consonant, 
which  is  prefixed  to  it,  substituted:  thus  in  T)-bC\n,  b  is  eclipsed 
by  1;,  and  the  whole  word  is  pronounced  naum,  whereas  bivn  is 
pronounced  dawn.  It  is  only  at  the  beginning  of  words  conson- 
ants are  eclipsed. 

2.  The  following  eight  consonants  can  be  eclipsed: — b,  c,  b,  -p, 
3,  p,  r,  c;  the  others  cannot.  Between  the  eclipsing  and  the 
eclipsed  letter  there  is  usually  placed  a  hyphen,  as  rn-b(v|ib  :  but 
often  they  are  put  together  without  any  separating  mark,  as 
booric.  Sometimes  eclipsis  is  denoted  by  the  doubling  ot  the 
eclipsed  letter;  thus,  <v  cccvrib  is  the  same  as  -a.  6-c<v]ib,  their  bull 

3.  Each  consonant  has  an  eclipsing  letter  of  its  own. 


CHAP.    II.]  LETTER    CHANGES.  17 

4.  t)  is  eclipsed  by  r\) ;  as  a  xxy-b^]xb,  their  bard,  pronounced  a 
maw  id. 

5.  C  is  eclipsed  by  5:  as  a  3- coll,  their  hazel,  pronounced  a 
gowl  or  a  gull. 

6.  O  by  t) ;  as  a  rrbor,  their  bush,  pronounced  a  nass. 

7.  "F  by  b  (which  itself  sounrls  like  v  or  to) ;  as  a  b-peATiApp, 
their  land,  pronounced  a  varran. 

8.  5  is  eclipsed  by  p.  But  this  is  not  a  true  eclipsis,  for  the 
resulting  sound  is  not  that  of  p,  but  the  sound  ot  English  ng ; 
thus  <v  r)5ioll<\.,  their  servant,  is  pronounced  ang-illa. 

9.  P  is  eclipsed  by  b;  as  <v  b-pi<xn,  pronounced  a  bee-an. 

10.  S  is  eclipsed  by  c,  as  <xn  c-ru]l,  the  eje,  pronounced  an 
too-il. 

11.  C  is  eclipsed  by  b;  as  a  b-c  aI,  their  adze,  pronounced  a 
daivl. 

RTJLE3    FOB   ECLIPSIS* 

1.  The  possessive  pronouns  plural — ah,  our;  ban,  your;  a, 
their;  eclipse  the  initial  consonant  of  the  next  word;  as  Aft 
b-rijeAnpa,  our  Lord;  bun.  5  cp<vr)0,  your  tree;  a  b-pApic, 
their  tield.t 

2.  The  article  eclipses  the  initial  consonant  of  nouns  in  the 
genitive  plural ;  a-t  ce-xc  r)\  n)--bAub,  the  house  of  the  bards; 
3011c  n<v  5-CApa.U,  the  field  of  the  horses. 

3.  When  a  simple  preposition  is  followed  by  the  article  and  a 
noun  in  the  singular  number,  the  initial  consonant  of  the  noun  is 
generally  eclipsed;  as  -cup.  at)  rp-bonb,  on  the  table;  6'rj 
b-pcipise,  from  the  sea.    (See  page  34:  see  also  Syntax.) 

4.  The  initial  con-onant  of  a  verb  is  eclipsed  after  the  interro- 
gative particles  a,  At),  ca,  t)ac;  also  alter  50,  that;  tthit)a,  unless; 
Iau,  alter;  b'A,  if;  and  after  the  relative  a  preceded  by  a  preposi- 
tion; as  a  TT)-bemeAnp  re?  Dots  be  bear?  at)  Tp-biiAileApn 
cuV  Dost  thou  strike?  ca  b-puil  rj*  Where  is  she?  T)<^c 
b-cui^earjO  ca?  Dost  thou  not  understand?  50  rn-beAnOAi^e 
Ota  buir,  may  God  bless  thee;  Tnupa.  b-cuicpin.,  unless  thou 
shalt  fall;  bA  Ti-beAppAinn,  if  I  would  say,  An  cfjt  App  <* 
b-CAp^c  TTAb,  the  country  into  which  they  came. 


*  Thp«e  rules  apply  of  course  only  to  those  consonants  that  can  be 
eclipsed.  The  rules  for  eclipsis,  like  those  for  aspiration,  suppose  a 
knowledge  of  Etymology. 

t  Rules  1,  2,  3,  4  do  not  apply  to  p.    See  for  this  letter  Rule  5. 


— ;      "   r 


■ri* 


ir 


w    ■:  ..    -a. 


--  _:".      £     •"-: z    j 


' 


|a 


i  -: 


^    '       ...     "  ...  -    ~*  ' 


mi.r.  LETTSE     CHANGES.  13 

fr  >-n  c  •  ;Tii  in  Enz- 

l   called  in 
risfa  Ica- 

takes  place  chief  mat- 

ing t 

oall.  a  »[>.: 
ost  fixed   to   (mail,   and 

j  ■  .'  ■  rel  m 

r  lolh>w-r  5  a  bier  vel  in  ita  place; 

•  when  ceann.  a  bead,  a  Lead. 

H.  Inlikerntrj-  -oad  "  takes   place  chiefly  in   two 

ray «,  which  aye  !  I  wo  preced 

.-a  will  ig  rales 

•d  remarks   — 

8.  When  the  f-  p«6u  i 

illing  word  is  l  Ipea©.  I  •ball 

9.  Wbc 
Itirjg  word  is  not  bu&  a  6. 

-o  nyo'-.  \    U 

bt  n>. 

111.  When  ceann.  hea 

■and  is  n<'t  ce  &  -  ,ital 

Jtter.     ("Ibis  is  a  /al*r  a 

rd  ii  nut  o        - 

Theo   «  i«  a<:  -    .  to  infbr  the 

nil  word  .  - 

:  to  capall,  a 
the  whole  word  is  not  cap  a. 

STSOOPE. 


n  from 
djo?  a  word,  M  very  common  in  Ir. 

'.  Whtm  i  -     •'  ■•    *.    .,••    n   betwaeu  ■  liquid    '.  ij   u.  or  f, 
1  &  mote     r  between  t 
s   -.  '    er    \t  y  gram  mat    .    inflection   or  other' 

-  generally  consists  in  I 
;1;  be*. 

.aol  le  caol,  hu:.\  and  is  often  al»  ;>anie<J  I 

'  I  consonantal  flanges 


•20  ORTHOGRAPHY.  [PART   I. 

4.  The  following  examples  exhibit  the  chief  types  of  syncope: — 

5.  la.T)<vrf)A,   a  married  couple;  plural   l&r)<xrbn<v,    contracted 

from  1&T)<VTT)<VT)<V. 

6.  l-AiNvifi.,  a  flame;  plural  \<xfji<xc<\,  contracted  from 
1<vr<\fi<\c<v. 

7.  "Pocod,  a  word;  focloifi,  a  dictionary,  contracted  from 
■poc-aloiti. 

8.  Saibiyx,  rich;  comparative  r<v|brie,  contracted  from  r<v|biTie. 

9.  C<vc<viti,  a  city;  genitive  c<\.cp,<\c,  contracted  from 
c<vc<xtx<xc. 

10.  TlAiceATt)Ail,  princely;  comparative  |d<v|ce<vTnloi,  con- 
tracted from  fl<\iceaTt)&l<v. 

11.  Col^no,  the  body;  genitive  colna,  (sometimes  coll<x),  con- 
tracted from  col<\T)0<v. 

12.  C<v]\<v,  genitive  c<v|t<vb;  the  plural  is  formed  by  adding  e 
to  this,  which  syncopates  the  second  <v:  this  would  make  c-Ajxbe, 
which  again,  in  accordance  with  the  rule  c&ol  le  c<vol,  &c,  is 
made  c<v|fibe. 

13.  U<vr<vl,  noble,  becomes  uaifle  in  the  comparative,  by  a 
process  exactly  similar  to  the  last. 

14.  "Follur,  evident,  becomes  popllre  in  the  comparative  in  a 
similar  way. 

15.  2U5at)0,  a  river:  the  plural  is  formed  by  adding  e  ;  this 
causes  syncope  of  the  second  <\  and  the  omission  of  one  T),  "which 
would  make  the  plural  <\bne;  and  this  again  becomes  <x-|bne,  by 
the  rule  c<xol  le  caol,  &c. 

lfi.  J_«d)«.iii,  speak  (imperative  mood);  l<vbp.Aprn,  I  speak,  con- 
tracted from  lotb<vjioiiTt). 


CHAP,  l]  the  abtiols.  21 


PART  II. 

ETYMOLOGY. 

1.  There  are  nine  parts  of  speech  in  Irish,  which  are  the  same  ag 
those  in  English. 


CHAPTEE     I. 

THE  ARTICLE. 

I.  CHANGE  OF  FORM  IN  THE  ARTICLE. 

1.  The  Irish  language  has  one  article, -at),  which  has  the  same 
meaning  as  the  English  definite  article  the. 

2.  The  article  changes  its  form  according  to  number,  gender, 
and  case. 

3.  In  the  singular  number  the  article  has  the  form  <\.t)  in  all  the 
cases  except  the  genitive  feminine,  iu  which  it  becomes  n<v;  as 
CAirle&T)  n<v  cirice,  the  castle  of  the  hen. 

In  the  plural  number  the  article  is  always  n<v. 

4.  In  the  spoken  language  the  T)  of  at)  is  often  omitted  before  a 
consonant;  as  ce<\x)X)  <x  c<xinb,  the  head  of  the  bull.  And  this  is 
sometimes  found  in  books  also,  both  printed  and  MS.,  but  it  is  not 
recommended. 

5.  When  -an  follows  a  preposition  ending  in  a  vowel,  the  <v.  is 
often  omitted  in  writing,  but  the  omission  is  usually  marked  by 
an  apostrophe;  thus,  6  <vn  cfri,  from  the  land,  is  written  6'n  cfri ; 
and  t:&  at)  T)5T*eiT),  under  the  sun,  is  written  f  a't)  T)5fieii). 

Very  often  in  MSS.,  and  sometimes  in  printed  books,  the 
apostrophe  in  such  cases  is  omitted,  and  the  r)  of  the  article 
joined  with  the  preposition;  as  or)  cfri,  pM  T)5|ieiT). 

6.  In  the  plural  the  article  (n<x)  is  often  joined  to  the  preposi- 
tion; as  6ot)a,  for  6o  j)<\. 

7.  The  letter  r  is  inserted  between  certain  prepositions  and  the 
article  <vt);  and  this  occasionally  leads  to  combinations  that  might 
puzzle  a  learner.  Thus,  at)T)  at)  le<xb<VTV.  in  the  book,  is  written 
<VT)T)r  -at)  le^bATi,  and  if  at)  leAbAti,  which  is  still  further 
shortened  to  t"at)  le<xb<\Ti:  also  (omitting  the  n)  <xnnr^  le-a.b<\|t, 
and  even  t-a  le<vb<vp, 


22  ETYM010GY.  [PABT  IL 

n.  CHANGES  PEODTJCED  BY  THE  ABTICTi^. 

1.  The  article  produces  certain  changes  in  the  initial  letters  of 
nouns  to  which  it  is  prefixed. 

2.  These  changes  are  very  important,  and  the  learner  will  ob- 
tain a  cle  irer  view  ot  them  by  separating  the  singular  from  the 
plural.     (Fur  more  on  this  subject  see  page  34.) 

SINGTJLAE. 

1.  If  the  noun  begins  with  an  aspirahle  consonant  (except  p,  c, 
b),  the  article  aspirates  in  the  nominative  ieminiue,  and  in  the 
genitive  ma-culine;  as  ap  bo,  the  cow;  cuan  -ap  p|p  rh6|p,  the 
harbor  of  the  great  man. 

2.  If  the  noun  begins  with  p,  followed  by  a  vowel  or  by  I,  p,  or 
p,  the  f  is  eclipsed  by  c  in  those  cases  where,  according  to  the 
last  rule,  a  mutable  consonant  would  be  aspirated;  as  an  c-ral 
(tern.),  the  heel;  ar)  c-fpon,  (tern.),  the  nose;  luac  <vp  c-f]i]<v]p 
(masc),  the  price  of  the  bi  idle. 

3.  If  the  noun  begins  with  a  vowel,  the  article  prefixes  c  to  the 
nominative  masculine,  and  1)  to  the  genitive  feminine;  as  <vn 
c--acaip,  the  father;  leabap.  pa  b-^l^fie,  the  book  of  the  dun 
(cow). 

4.  If  the  noun  begins  with  an  eclipsable  consonant  (except  b  or 
c),  the  article  qenerully  eclipses,  it  it  be  preceded  by  a  simple  pre- 
position; as  <viri  an  5-cpapn,  on  the  tree;  dp  b  pocal  pbep, 
"from  the  word  '  iber;'  "  leir  <vp  b-pe<vp,  with  the  man. 

5.  But  after  the  prepositions  bo  and  be,  the  article  aspirates 
oftener  than  it  eclipses;  as  ceicrie  ceirpe  bo'p  criior,  four  de- 
grees of  the  zone  (Keating);  bo  leanaban  <v  5-cora  bo'n  cap,- 
p<xf5,  their  feet  clung  to  the  rock  (story  of  the  Onildren  ot  Lir). 

6.  No  change  is  produced  by  the  article  in  the  singular  number, 
it  the  noun  begins  with  I,  p,  p,  b,  c,  or  with  p  before  a  mute. 


PLTJEAL. 

1  If  the  noun  begins  with  an  eclipsable  consonant,  the  article 
eclipses  in  the  genitive;  as  mpr  pa  b  pjobbab  [the]  island  of  the 
woods;  cailfp  bear  cpuibce  pot  n)-bd  [the]  pretty  girl  of  [t^e] 
milking  of  the  cows  (i.e.,  the  pret.y  milking  girl). 

2.  If  the  noun  begins  with  a  vowel,  the  article  prefixes  p  to  the 
genitive,  and  1)  to  the  other  cases;  as  cfp  pa  p-65,  the  land  of  the 
young  (people);  6  pa  r>-aicib  pip,  from  those  places. 

These  are  the  only  changes  produced  by  the  article  in  the 
plural. 


CHAP.   n.j  THE  HOUX.  23 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  NOUN. 

I.  GENDER. 

1.  There  are  only  two  genders  in  the  Irish  language,  the  mas- 
culine and  feminine:  all  Irish  nouns,  therefore,  are  either  mascu- 
line or  feminine  gender. 

2.  In  ancient  Irish  there  was  a  Deuter  gender,  but  no  trace  of  it 
remains  in  the  modern  language. 

3.  To  know  and  remember  the  gender  of  all  ordinary  Irish  nouns 
is  one  of  the  great  difficulties  in  learning  the  language,  as  it  is  in 
learning  French  and  many  other  languages.  Without  this  knowl- 
edge, which  can  only  be  mastered  by  practice,  no  one  can  speak 
or  write  Irish,  correctly. 

4.  There  are  a  few  general  rules  which  will  very  much  help  the 
learuerto  distinguish  the  gender  of  nouns:  they  are  only  general 
rules,  however,  subject  to  many  exceptions;  and  where  they  do 
not  apply,  the  student  must  depend  on  practice  and  memory. 

MASCULINE. 

1.  The  following  nouns  are  generally  masculine: — 

(1.)  Names  of  males;  as  cople<vc,  a  cock;  1-a.oc,  a  hero;  ■pe-ATi, 
a  man. 

(2.)  Nouns  of  more  than  one  syllable,  ending  in  a  consonant,  or 
two  consonants,  preceded  by  a  broad  vowel;  as  boicce<\ll, 
churlishness:  except  (n),  derivatives  in  <\cc;  (6),  diminutives  in 
05. 

(3.)  Nouns  ending  in  61  fi,  <x]jie,  <xc  &]6e  (or  o-|Se,  or  ui8e), 
wfien  they  denole  personal  agents,  as  they  generally  do;  as 
rpe<vl<xb6iri,  a  mower;  re<vl5<\-)p.e,  a  hunter;  ceice<\fii)AC.  a 
soldier — one  of  a  body  of  kerns;  -r5e&l<vi6e,  or  r5eului6e,  a 
story-teller. 

(i.)  Diminutives  in  fco  and  abstracts  in  <vr;  as  collect),  a 
whelp;  c&in-be-af,  friendship. 

(5)  Diminutives  in  f n  are  of  the  same  gender  as  the  nouns  from 
which  they  are  derived. 

FEMININE. 

2.  The  following  nouns  are  generally  feminine:— 

(1.)  Names  of  females;  names  of  countries,  rivers,  and  diseases; 
as  ce<vnc,  a  hen;  'Gi|xe,  Ireland;  t)e<vp.U<\,  the  Barrow;  pl'<v|5, 
a  plague. 

(2. j  Diminutives  in  03,  and  derivatives  in  -ace;  as  puireo^,  a 
lark;  curt) p. -a.ee,  fragrance:  and  abstract  nouns  formed  from  the 
j.e.jitive  feminine  of  adjectives;  as  bailie,  blindness. 


24  ETYMOLOQT.  [PABT  H. 

(3.)  Nouns  ending  in  a  consonant,  or  two  consonants,  preceded 
by  a  slender  vowel  (except  those  in  6\]i);  as  fujl,  tue  eye> 
^05lu|rn,  learning. 

II.  DECLENSIONS. 

(' 

OASES. 

* 

1.  Irish  nouns  have  four  cases,  that  is,  four  different  inflections, 
to  express  relation: — Nominative,  genitive,  dative,  and  vocative. 

2.  The  nominative  case  is  the  same  as  the  nominative  case  in 
English. 

8.  The  genitive  is  the  same  as  what  is  called  the  possessive  case 
in  English. 

4.  The  dative  is  the  case  where  a  noun  is  governed  by  a  pre- 
position. 

5.  The  vocative  case  is  the  same  as  what  is  called  the  nomina- 
tive of  address  in  English. 

6.  Irish  nouns  have  different  forms  for  these  four  cases,  and  for 
no  others.  Ihus,  the  four  cases  of  bfi<ib&n,  a  salmon,  are,  for  the 
plural  number,  as  follows: — Nom.  bp.<\b&in,  as  Cfif  bn.abiv.fn, 
three  salmons;  gen.  bjx<vb&n,  as  loc  n<v  m-bn-cvb&n,  the  lake  of 
the  salmons;  dat.  bn.<\.b&n<vib,  as  bo  na  bn<vb(\n<\ib,  to  the 
salmons;  voc.  bn.Ab*vn<v,  as  <v  bn<vbC\n<v  c<\.  b-pu^l  r]b'  <v5  oul? 
"  O  ye  salmons,  whither  are  ye  going?" 

7.  These  four  case  are  not  always  different  in  form;  thus,  the 
four  cases  of  the  same  noun  in  the  singular  number  are  : — Nom. 
bn<vb<vn  ;  gen.  bfi-cvb&in;  dat.  bu.<\bv\n;  voc.  bn.<vb&in;  in  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  dative  is  the  same  as  the  nominative,  and 
the  vocative  the  same  as  the  genitive. 

8.  Those  cases  which  are  alike  in  form  are  distinguished  by  the 
sense;  just  as  the  nominative  and  objective  cases  are  distinguish- 
ed in  English. 

9.  Some  writers  on  Irish  grammar  have  put  in  two  more  cases, 
in  imitation  ot  Latin  declension;  the  accusative  (or,  as  it  is  called 
in  English,  the  objective)  and  the  ablative.  But  in  Irish  there  are 
no  separate  iuilections  for  them,  the  accusative  being  always  the 
same  in  form  as  the  nominative,  and  the  ablative  the  same  as  the 
dative;  so  that  it  would  be  only  a  useless  puzzle  to  the  learner  to 
include  them  in  a  statement  ot  Irish  dec'ension.  In  certaiu  ex- 
planations, however,  and  in  the  statement  of  certain  rules,  it  is 
sometimes  convenieut  to  speaK  of  the  accusative  case. 

10.  Different  nouns  have  different  indections  for  the  same  case; 
thus  the  dative  singular  of  cor,  a  toot,  and  bof,  a  bush,  are  dif- 
ferent, namely,  cofr  and  bor.     But  though  this  variation  extends 


CHAP,    n.]  THE  NOTTS.  25 

to  most  of  the  cases,  the  genitive  singular  is  tal.en  as  the  standard, 
in  comparing  the  declension  of  one  noun  with  the  declension  of 
another. 

11.  There  are  five  chief  ways  of  forming  the  genitive  singular 
of  Irish  nouDs;  and  in  one  or  another  of  these  ways,  far  the  greatest 
number  of  nouns  in  the  language  form  their  genitive.  There  are 
usually  reckoned,  therefore,  five  declensions  of  Irish  nouiiis. 

12.  Besides  these  there  are  genitive  inflections,  but  as  no  one 
of  them  comprises  any  considerable  number  of  nouns,  it  is  not 
considered  necessary  to  lay  down  more  than  five  declensions.  The 
number  of  declensions  is,  however,  very  much  a  matter  of  con- 
venience ;  and,  accordingly,  in  some  Irish  grammars,  there  are 
more  than  five,  and  in  some  less. 

FIEST  DECLENSION. 

1.  The  first  declension  comprises  masculine  nouns  which  have 
their  characteristic  vowel,  that  is,  the  last  vowel  of  the  nomina- 
tive singular,  broad. 

2.  The  genitive  singular  is  formed  by  attenuating  the  broad 
rowel. 

3.  In  the  singular,  the  dative  is  like  the  nominative,  and  the 
vocative  is  like  the  genitive;  in  the  plural,  the  nominative  is 
generally  like  the  genitive  singular,  and  the  genitive  like  the 
nominative  singular.     Example,  bw.ll,  a  member,  or  limb. 


Singular. 

Plural. 

Norn.*  ball. 

Nona,     b<ull. 

Gen.       baill. 

Gen.      ball. 

Dat.       ball. 

Dat.       b<xll<v|b 

Voc.      ■&.  b<v]U. 

Voc.      <v  ball<v 

4.  The  number  of  nouns  that  belong  to  this  declension  is  very 
large ;  but  though  they  all  form  their  Genitive  singular  in  tl  e 
same  way  (except  those  in  -ac,  in  which  there  is  a  slight  addi- 
tional change,  for  which  see  next  paragraph),  there  are  a  few 
which  vary  in  the  formation  of  other  cases. 

5.  Nouns  in  <vc,  in  addition  to  the  attenuation,  change  c  into 
3  in  tne  genitive  singular;  and  generally  form  the  nominative 
plural  by  adding  e  to  the  genitive  singular;  and  from  this  again 
is  formed  the  dative  plural  in  -|b,  in  accordance  with  the  rule  in 
Par.  9,  page  26.     Example,  m<\fica.c,  a  horseman. 

*  It  would  be  well  for  the  lparner,  when  declining  nouns,  to  call  this 
'  'Nominative  and  Accusative"  all  through  the  declensions. 


26  ETYMOLOGY.  [PABT  H. 

Singular.  PluraL 

Fein.      tt)ATic-ac.  Nom.    ttj&jic^se. 

Gen.       Tt)«.iic<vi3.  Gen.      tnaTic-a.c. 

Dat.       TT)<\.nc<\.c.  Dat.      n}a.ricA.i5ib\ 

Voc.       -a.  rr>aTic<vi3.  Voc.     -a.  tt)A|icaCA. 

6.  A  few  nouns  make  their  nominative  plural  by  an  increase  in 
a. ;  as  pe<xr»n,  a  pen;  plur.  pe<vnn<v:  and  some  of  these  are  syn- 
copated, as  ub\\U,  an  apple;  plur.  ublA. 

7.  In  a  few  nouns  of  this  declension  the  nominative  plural  is 
formed  by  adding  c<v  or  c<\.  to  the  nominative  singular;  as  reol, 
a  sail;  nom.  plur.  reolc<\ ;  dat.  plur.  reolc<v]b;  U)Ufi,  a  wall; 
nom.  plur.  mupxo.;  dat.  plur.  miijxc-aib. 

8.  In  many  words  of  one  syllable  belonging:  to  this  declension, 
the  attenuation  in  the  genitive  singular  cau-es  considerable  change 
in  the  vowel  or  diphthongal  part  of  the  word;  thus,  coftp,  a 
body;  gen.  cttiftp;  1<VT5,  a  fish ;  gen.  eir5;  t)e<vn.c,  strength; 
gen.  -neipx  or  t)]]\c;  ^eaji,  a  man ;  gen.  pin;  cruxnn,  a  tree; 
gen.  cnoiT)t)'»  be<vl,  a  mouth;  gen.  be]l  or  beojl. 

Tlie  three  following  rules  (9,  10,  and  11)  apply  to  all  the  de- 
clensions : 

9.  The  dative  plural  ends  in  ib. 

This  ib  correspond  with  the  Latin  dative  and  ablative  ter- 
mination ibus  or  bus.  It  is  now  hardly  ever  pronounced,*  but  it 
is  nearly  always  retained  in  writing;  just  as  in  English,  gh,  which 
was  formerly  sounded  as  a  guttural  in  such  words  as  plough, 
daughter,  is  retained  in  writing,  though  it  is  no  longer  pro- 
nounced. 

10.  The  dative  plural  is  formed  from  the  nominative  plural 
whenever  this  latter  differs  from  the  genitive  singular :  other- 
wise from  the  nominative  singular. 

11.  The  vocative  is  always  preceded  by  the  particle  -a  or  0, 
which  aspirates  the  initial;  as  -a.  fr-|pv,  O  man;  -a.  n)X)<\,  O  women ; 
0  Cfse-ap-noi,  O  Lord. 

SECOND    DECLENSION. 

1.  The  second  declension  comprises  most  of  the  feminine  nouns 
in  the  language. 

2.  The  genitive  singular  is  formed  by  adding  e  to  the  nomina- 
tive. If  the  characteristic  vowel  is  broad,  it  must  be  attenuated 
ir  accordance  with  the  rule  caol  le  ca.ol,  &c. 

3.  The  dative  singular  is  formed  from  the  genitive  singular  by 
dropping  the  final  e. 

*  This  syllable  is  always  sounded  in  the  West  and  North  of  Ireland 
which  is  undoubtedly  the  rule,  the  other  being  the  exception. 


CHAP.    H.J  THE  NOUN.  27 

S.  When  the  characteristic  vowel  is  broad,  the  no  ni native 
plural  is  formed  from  the  nominative  singular  by  adding  •*;  when 
the  characteristic  vowel  is  slender,  by  adding  e. 

5.  The  genitive  plural  is  generally  like  the  nominative  singular. 

6.  The  vocative  is  usually  the  same  as  the  nominative,  and  is 
accordingly  omitted  from  the  paradigm. 

First  example  :  reAinp.65,  a  shamrock. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  re<vTT)no5.  Norn.  re<vrn|t05<v. 

Gen.    re<vrr)p,6i5e.  Gen.    re<vmri65 

Dat.    fe<Mr)fi6i5.  Dat.    Te<VTt)Tv05-Alt>« 

Second  example;  pe^fc,  a  worm,  a  beast. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  peifc.  Nom.  y>e]yce. 

Gen.    ipe-\xce  Gen.     peirc. 

Dat.     pe^rc.  Dat.     pe]rqb. 

7.  Nouns  in  <vc  when  they  belong  to  this  declension,  change 
the  c  to  5  in  the  genitive  singular;  thus,  cl*vifire<vc,  a  harp,  is 
declined  as  follows : — 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  cl*v|nTe<vc.  Nom.  cU\]rireAC<v. 

Gen.   cl&iriri5e.  Gen.   cl&ittreoic. 

Dat.    cl<v|ftri5.  Dat.    cl&iTxre<vc-a.ib\ 

8.  There  are  many  nouns  belonging  to  this  declension  which 
depart  from  the  general  rule  laid  down  in  Par.  4,  in  forming  their 
nominative  plural. 

9.  Some,  probably  over  fifty,  form  the  nominative  plural  by 
adding  anna;  and  these  form  the  genitive  plural  by  dropping  the 
final  <v  of  this  termination ;  thus,  cu^r,  a  cause ;  nom.  plural, 
cuire<v.nrj<x;  gen.  plural,  cuire-ann  dat.  plural,  cuiye<xt)t)<\-\\j. 

10.  Some  form  their  nominative  plural  by  adding  aca:  thus, 
ob<viTi,  a  work,  and  ofi&ib,  a  prayer,  make  opbfie^CA.  and 
Ofi*vibe<vc<x  in  the  nominative  plural. 

11.  When  the  characteristic  vowel  is  slender,  it  is  often  drop- 
ed  in  the  genitive  plural;  as  pu-cvin),  a  sound;  gen.  plural,  pu<vrr). 

12.  When  the  nominative  plural  takes  ce,  the  genitive  plural  is 
formed  by  adding  <vb;  as  coill,  a  wood;  nom.  plur.  coiUce  :  and 
genitive  plural,  as  seen  in  Qile&n  r)<v  5-copllce<v6,  the  island  of  the 
woods  (Keating). 

13.  There  are  other  variations  of  the  nominative  and  genitive 
plural,  but  they  do  not  comprise  any  considerable  number  of 
nouns,  and  they  must  be  learned  by  practice. 


ETTMOLOOT.  [PA£T   II 

I.  Nouns  belonging  to  the  third  declension  are  some  of  them 
_;.-.■;'.  -:.-  ---'.  i.~ -  '----.-.--. 

_    7      _  a  rigular  is  formed  by  adding  a  h  Hm  nomina 

tm  -  ngnlar. 

3.  The  vocative  is  like  the  nominative. 

4.  The  nominative  plural  is  generally  formed  by  adding  a.  or  e. 
:    The  genitive  plural  is  generally  like  the  nominative  singular. 

I-..:.,    -t     ;    :  ■■  -       " 

5 .".:_"   .:.'.  -  -   '■■-■ 

\f.  Nom.  c".^\-4. 
-a.  a.    clea~. 

Dat.     cleo.-.  Dat.     cle>xr*ib\ 

6.  If  the  liiaracteristic  vowel  is  slender,  it  must  be  made  broad 
in  the  genii  -  rgular,  in  accordance  with  the  rule  caol  le 
eaoi.  &  "".'U  the  wilL  gen.  col  a. 

J    Sometimes  c  or  c  is  introduced  before  the  •«.  of  the  genitive 
-ich  commonly  causes  other  changes  by  sync-op^ 
bocM  rp;   gen.  ::r    -T-     '.../. —  r    trouble;    g 

cu     :       lca. 

-    77  s  ii  the  rrbal  or  ial  nouns  in  <lc\   e    - 

and  05-0.8,  the  geai rives  of  which  ha   :    the   same  form  as  their 
lea  sonaderc  rbs;  and  tr  '.U  common- 

;'- reckoned  as  belonging  to  this  declension,  though  the  gen 
j     _         >:  .rmed  in  some  by  adding  e.  not*;  if  Tnol<\£\ 

_-     _    -.    r^.cw:  -      '  v*     -'     :::.     -     gerr.  re:    ca.c      -    : 

making  slender :  -  _-e. 

9.  Xouns  in  -ace  generally,  and  those  in  e<ur  or  nor,  often,  be- 
'.  :.;  -  this  -  -  -"  ~;  .-.  :r  '.-:.-  _  c'.— - 
De«,cca  be  "  -  row;  gen.  ckm\-  for*-  But  the  gre  tea 
number  of  those  in  ear  or  \of  belong  to  the  first  declension  ^  thus 
the  last  noun,  boil"'—,  is  ::en  mads  boiler  in  the  geni: 
and  bp.or>nc .              -    r.  makes  bn.onr c    -      * 

10.  There  are  forty  or  fifty  nouns  (many  of  them  ending  in 
which  form  their  genitive  singular  in  «c,  and  which  are  reckoned 
as  belonging   :      :  is  declension,  though  some  writers   arrange 
them  under  ~Aim   s 
cat--.,-..-:  Ce^-A-'-..    Tara;    goo.    Cc  -       n,    hatred; 

II.  TLo^e  in  in.  generally  form  their  c  as  above;  bnt 
ata".    a  fatLcr:  -      -             mother;  and  b...rA  -.    abrol 
form  their  genitive  by  dro  pia^  the  final  |: — gen.    Ar^n.  tr^\r^n. 

-    ■ . 

rmatkNi  of  the  womb  r'.uraL 


OHAP.   n.]  THE  NOUN.  29 

13.  Those  in  6]}x  generally  make  the  nominative  plural  by  add- 
ing ]6e:  as  rf?e<vl<\bdifx,  a  mower;  uom.  plur.  rpe<vl<xbdifxibe. 

14.  And  these  form  the  genitive  plural  variously;  generally  r)<\ 
rpe<vl<\.b6irq6,  but  sometimes  r)A  rpeAl<vbd|fi,  or  T)<v  rpe<\l<v- 
bdfvac. 

_  15.  Others  form  the  nominative  plural  either  like  the  genitive 
singular  or  by  adding  T)n<\.  to  it;  as  niur.  a  stream;  gen.  rrioc<\.; 
nom.  plur.  rnoc<«,  or  rnoc<\T)n<v ;  brut^m,  a  back;  gen.  bjioma; 
nom,  plur.  brioma,    or  bnon>\nnA.. 

16.  Those  that  add  ona,  form  the  genitive  plural  by  omitting 
the<v;  asrriiic;  gen.  plur.  rjiucAnn. 

17.  Many  nouns  of  this  declension  that  end  in  T)  or  I,  form  their 
plural  by  adding  ce  or  cot;  as  md|n,  a  bog;  gen.  sing.  mdi)a.; 
nom.  plur.  md] nee. 

IS.  And  these  generally  form  their  genitive  plural  by  adding 
<v6,  to  the  nominative  plural;  as  mo^n;  gen.  plur.  rndince<vb. 

19.  Those  that  form  their  genitive  singular  in  <xc  (10)  form  the 
plural  by  adding  <x  to  this  <xc;  as  l<vr<vifi,  a  flame;  gen.  sing. 
l<vrri<\.c;  nom.  plur.  U\rrt<\c<v. 


FOUETH    DECLENSION. 


1.  Nouns  of  the  fourth  declension  end  in  vowels  or  in  ft),  and 
are  some  of  them  masculine  and  some  feminine. 

2.  There  is  no  inflection  in  the  singular,  all  the  cases  being 
alike. 

3.  The  nomina  ive  plural  is  generally  formed  by  adding  -|be  or 
<xb<v  (with  occasionally  an  obvious  vowel  change).  Example, 
&1 1*1)6)  a  sloe. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  &iru)e.  Nom.  '<x]-\it)-\6e. 

Gen.  &ifu)e.  Gen.   &iTineAb. 

Dat.   <viru)e.  Dal.    ^ru^bib. 

4.  Some  form  the  plural  by  adding  re  or  ce :  as  ceiT)T)e,  a  fire ; 
nom.  plur.  ce^nce  ;  bAO],  a  clown;  nom.  plur.  b<vo]ce;  and 
<vici)e,  a  commandment,  has  nom.  plur.  <\-jce<\i)Cv\.. 

5.  These  generally  form  the  genitive  plural,  by  adding  6  or  <v6 
(not  to  the  nominative  singular,  as  in  the  model,  but)  to  the 
nominative  plural;  as  nom.  plur.  boto^ce,  clowns;  gen.  plur. 
baoiceAb. 

6.  Nouns  ending  in  <\-\6e,  ii]be,  and  <virie,  generally  be- 
long to  this  declension;  as  -rcKvbuibe,  a  slave  ;  pjob<\ifie,  a 
piper. 


80  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAST  H. 

FIFTH  DECLENSION. 

1.  Nouns  of  the  fifth  declension  are  mostly  feminine. 

2.  They  generally  end  in  a  vowel;  and  they  form  their  genitive 
by  adding  o  or  r)r),  and  occasionally  b  or  c. 

3.  The  dative  singular  is  formed  from  the  genitive  by  attenua- 
tion. 

4.  The  nominative  plural  is  formed  from  the  genitive  singular 
by  adding  <v. 

6.  The  genitive  plural  is  like  the  genitive  singular. 

Example,  tiriT<S  a  door-jamb. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  urir<v.  Notn.  up.  r-A.no. 

Gen.    unra.r).  Gen.    urir<xT). 

Dat.    uriroin.  Dat.    ftp.r<xnaib\ 

6.  To  this  declension  belong  the  proper  names  '6|rie,  Ireland; 
gen. 'eirie<vTir),  dat. 'Smino;  ?Uba,  Scotland;  gen.  &lb<vn,  dat. 
<\lb<vin;  2Uuma.,  Munster;  gen.  SUurhoi),  dat.  SOurbAin;  and 
several  others  of  less  note. 

7.  C<x?i<v.  a  friend,  is  an  example  of  the  genitive  in  b:  nom. 
eoriA;  genitive  cariab;  dat.  CAriAib  ;  nom.  plur.  coiribe. 

8.  There  is  a  good  deal  ot  variety  in  the  formation  of  the  ca^es 
of  nouns  belonging  to  this  declension,  which  can  only  be  learned 
by  practice. 

UtREGrLAB  DECXEXSIOX 

1.  Some  nouns  are  in-egular  ;  that  is,  they  are  not  inflected  in 
accordance  with  any  of  the  regular  declensions. 

2.  The  most  important  ot  the  irregular  nouns  are*: — beat),  a 
woman;  bo,  a  cow;  briii,  a  womb  ;  caorta,  a  sheep;  ceo,  a  fog; 
ct)6,  a  hut;  cu,  abound;  Oia.  God;  U\.  a  day;  mi  a  month;  o 
or  iu\,  a  grandson.  They  are  declined  as  follows — (Uie  vocative 
is  not  given  where  it  is  like  the  nominative) : — 

Oe<vr),  a  woman,  Jem. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  bean.  Nom.  rnno. 

Gen.    TnrU\.  Gen.    b<vn. 

Dat.    rorxvoi.  Dat.    mnoib. 

Do,    a    COW,  fern. 

Nom.  bo.  Nom.  b&. 

Geu.    bo.  Gen.    bo. 

Dat.    buin.  Dat.     biu\ib. 

*  For  additional  examples oi  declensions  of  nouns,  both  regular  and 
irregular,  see  Appendix  at  the  end  of  the  book. 


OUAP.   II.]  THE   XOYTS.  81 

t>jiu,  a  womb,  fern. 

Nom.  briu.  Nom.  briOTyna.. 

Gen.   briuinne,  or  brionn.       Gen.   brionn. 
Dat.    bjioinn.  Dat.   bn.onn<v]b. 

Caori-a.,  a  sheep,  fern 

Nom.  c-aon.<v.  Nom.  ca.01n.13. 

Gen.    c<vojt<xc.  Gen.    c<voji<vc. 

Dat.    caortA.  Dat.    c-a.oric-a.ib. 

Yoc.   <v  c-aorioi.  Voc.   <v  c-aon.c<t. 

Ceo,  a  fog,  masc. 

Nona,  ceo  Nom.  c|a.6 

Gen.   c|a.c  or  ceoi3 .  Gen.  ceo. 

Dat.    ceo  Dat.    ce6c<vjb. 

Cno  or  cnu,  a  nut,  masc. 

.Nom.  ct)6.  Nom.  cn*v.  cn-&i. 

Gen.   cno,  cnui.  Gen.    cn66. 

Dat.    cno,  cnu.  Dat.    cn&lb. 

Cu,  a  hound,  masc.  or  fern. 

Nom.  cu.  Nom.  c:>in,  cuit),  con*, 

or  coince. 
Gen.   cor).  Gen.    con. 

Dat.    coin.  Dat.    cona.ib. 

Oi<x,  God,  masc. 

Nom.  Di<v.  Nom.  Dee,  Oeice. 

Gen.   De.  Gen.   Di<v,  Oeiee<v.t>. 

Dat.    Di<v.  Dat.    Oeib\  Oeicib. 

Voc.   -a.  Oh)e  or  <v  Dhi<v.  Voc.  -a.  Ohjee  or  <v  Otyeice. 

L&,  a  c?ay,  masc. 

Nom.  la.  Nom.  l<nere. 

Gen.   l-ae.  Gen.   l<vece<x.S. 

Dat.    l&,  Id.  Dat.    l^eqb. 

20  f,  a  month,  fern. 

Nom.  mf.  Nom.  rnfor-a.. 

Gen.   rnfr,  rnfor*.  Gen.   rnfor;. 

Dat.    rnf,  rnff.  Dat.    rnfor<iib. 

0  or  ttA,  a  grandson,  masc. 

Nom.  6,  ua.  Nom.  uf. 

Gen.    i,  uf.  Gen.    u<v. 

Dat.    o,  u<v.  Dat.    ib,  uib. 

Voc.  -a.  uf.  Voc.  -a.  uf. 


S3  ETYMOLOGY.  [PART   II. 

DECLENSION  OP  THE  AKTIOLE  "WITH  THE  NOTTN. 

1.  The  initial  changes  produced  by  the  article  in  the  nonns  to 
which  it  is  prefixed  have  been  set  iorth  at  page  22;  these 
changes  must  he  carefully  observed  in  declining  nouns  with  the 
article. 

2.  Twelve  typical  examples  are  here  given,  corresponding  with 
the  several  cases  mentioned  in  paragraphs  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  6, 
page  22;  and  these  examples  include  almost  every  possible 
variety.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  difference  of  usage  in  the  dative 
singular  of  nouns  beginning  with  r. 

3.  The  declension  of  the  singular  number  only  is  given;  tlie 
changes  in  the  plural  are  sO  very  simple  (see  page  22,)  that  they 
can  present  no  difficulty. 

4.  C0I5,  a  sword,  masc.  Norn.  at)  C0I5;  gen.  at)  cuds;  dat. 
len*  at)  3-C0I5  (Par.  4,  p.  22),  or  bo'r)  60I5  (Par.  5,  p.  22). 

5.  C<\illeAC,  a  hag,  fern.  Nom.  at)  c<v]lle<vc;  gen.  t)a  c&]\- 
ll5e;  dat.  6'r)  5-CA1II15,  or  bo'n  ca.1ll.15. 

6.  Sao3<vI,  the  world,  masc.  Nom.  at)  t"A05aI;  gen.  AT) 
c-T"A05<vil  ;  dat.  6'r)  taosaI,  or  bo'n  c-r*05<xl  (Par.  5,  p.  22). 

7.  S<vboib,  the  Sabbath,  fern.  Nom.  at)  c-?Ab6ib;  gen.  T)A 
S<\.boibe;  dat.  6't)  S<vb6i&,  or  bo'n  c-S<vboib  (Pars.  2  and  5,  p.  22). 

8.  SI ac,  a  rod,  fem.  Nora,  at)  c--rl<xc;  gen.  t)a  rl<vice;  dat. 
leir  -at)  t/Iaic,  or  bo'n  c-rl<vic. 

9.  Sn.61,  satin,  masc.  Nom.  -at)  rn.61;  gen.  at)  c-rjxdil ;  dat. 
d'n  ru.61,  or  bo'n  c-T-fidl. 

10.  &r aI,  an  ass,  masc.  Nom.  -at)  c-a]*aI ;  gen.  at)  at*aiI ; 
dat.  6'r)  at"aI. 

11.  ]r)ir,  an  island,  fem.  Nom.  -at)  }X)]x;  gen.  T)A  t)-iT)fe;  dat. 
bo'n  inir. 

12.  Le ac,  a  stone,  fem.  Nom.  at)  le<vc;  gen.  t)a  leice  ;  dat. 
bo'T)  leic  (Par.  6,  page  22). 

13.  Dfle,  a  deluge,  fem.  Nom.  at)  bfle ;  gen.  t)a  bfle-AT)!); 
dat.  bo't)  bjlit)T). 

14.  S5e1.il,  a  story,  masc.  Nom.  at)  T^ettl;  gen.  at)  X^e]\  ; 
dat  6'r)  rseul. 

15.  SpeAl,  a  scythe,  fem.  Nom.  at)  rpeAl ;  gen.  T)a  rpeile  ; 
dat.  leir  at)  rpeil. 


CHAPTER     III. 
THE  ADJECTIVE. 

I.    DECLENSION  OF  ADJECTIVES. 


1.  In  Irish  the  adjective  changes  its  form  according  to  the  gen- 
der, case,  and  number  of  the  noun. 


CHAP.    III.]  THE    ADJECTIVE.  33 

2.  Adjectives  are  declined  in  much  the  same  manner  as  nouns  ; 
but  they  never  take  the  inflection  -|b'  in  the  dative  plural  (though 
anciently  they  had  this  intlection  like  nouns)  ;  the  dative  plural 
ot  an  adjective  is  like  the  nominative  plural. 

There  are  usually  reckoned  four  declensions  ot  adjectives. 

4.  The  inflections  of  these  four  declensions  follow  those  of  the 
noun  so  closely,  that  when  the  noun  is  mastered  the  adjective 
presents  no  difficulty. 

FIRST  DECLENSION. 

1.  Adjectives  of  the  first  declension  are  those  that  end  in  a  con- 
sonant preceded  by  a  broad  vowel,  as  bar),  white;   pliuc,  wet. 

2.  In  the  masculine  gender  (i.e.,  when  the  adjective  belongs  to 
a  masculine  noun),  they  are  declined  the  same  as  nouns  of  the 
first  declension  of  the  type  of  b<vll,  except  that  the  nominative 
plural  always  ends  in  <v. 

8.  In  the  feminine  gender  adjectives  are  declined  the  same  as 
nouns   of  the  second  declension  of  the  type  of  ye<^tx)\\6^. 

4.  Both  genders  are  alike  in  the  plural.  Example  ban, 
white. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Masc.    Fem.  Mas:,  and  Fern. 

Nom.  bar),     bar).  Nom.  ban<x. 

Gen.    bain,   ba^ne.  Gen.    bat). 

Dat.     bar),     bain.  Dat.     ban*.. 

Voc.    ba^n.  ban.  Voc.   ban*. 

SECOND  DECLENSION. 

1.  Acjectives  ot  the  second  declension  are  those  that  end  in  a 
consonant  preceded  by  a  slender  vowel. 

2.  Iu  the  singular,  all  the  cases  ot  both  masculine  and  feminine 
are  alike,  except  the  genitive  feminine,  which  takes  e. 

3.  In  the  plural,  both  genders  are  alike,  and  all  the  cases  ex- 
cept the  genitive  are  formed  by  adding  e  ;  the  genitive  is  like  the 
nominative  singular.     Example,  rnjn,  smooth,  fine. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Masc.     Fem.  Masc.  and  Fem. 
Nom.  mfn.    mfn.  Nom.  mine. 

Gen.    mil),     rnfne.  Gen.    n)fn. 

Dat.     mfn.     rr)jr).  Dat.    rnfne. 

Voc.    mfr).    mfn.  Voc.  rnfne. 

THIRD    DECLENSION. 

1.  Adjectives  of  the  third  declension  are  those  that  end  in 
oiTf)<v|l,  which  has  the  same  signification  as  the  English  postfix 
like:— be<vn,  a  woman  ;  b<M)<\ri)-&il,  womanlike,  modest. 


84 


ETYMOLOGY.  rPAET  n. 


2.  The  two  genders  are  always  alike. 

3.  The  four  cases  singular  are  alike  except  the  genitive,  which 
is  formed  by  adding  a,  with  a  syncope. 

4.  In  the  plural,  the  genitive  is  the  same  as  the  nominative 
singular;  and  the  other  cases  are  the  same  as  the  genitive  singular. 
Example,  Tt)<xireATT)Ail,  graceful. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  Tn<vire<vif)<\il.  Nom.  tt)<vire<ui)l<v. 

Gen.   n)A^re<vri)l<v.  Gen.   Tf)AireATt)Ail, 

Dat.    Tt)<vire<\.Tt)<iil.  Dat.    Tt)<vire<vTt)l<v. 

FOURTH  DECLENSION. 

1.  Adjectives  of  the  fourth  declension  are  those  that  end  in 
vowels;  as  TT)6p.b<x,  majestic. 

2.  They  have  no  inflections,  being  alike  in  all  cases,  numbers, 
genders. 

II.  DECLENSION  OF  THE  ADJECTIVE  AND  ARTICLE  WITH  THE  NOUN. 

1.  The  rules  for  the  aspiration  of  the  initial  consonants  of  ad- 
jectives agreeing  with  nouns  are  given  at  page  22;  and  the-e 
rules  must  be  very  carefully  observed  in  declining  nouns  with 
adjectives. 

_  2.  It  may  be  added  here  that  b  and  c  sometimes  resist  aspira- 
tion, especially  if  they  follow  a  noun  ending  in  t).  There  is  much 
variety  of  usage  as  to  aspiration  of  adjectives  in  the  dative 
flingular. 

3.  When  a  noun  is  declined  with  both  an  adjective  and  the  ar- 
ticle, the  initial  of  the  adjective  is  generally  eclipsed  in  the  geni- 
tive plural  (or  takes  n  if  it  be  a  vowel). 

4.  Four  typical  examples  are  here  given  of  the  declension  of  the 
adjective  with  the  noun  (for  the   influence  of  the  article,  see  paga 

&i)  c<xp<vll  ban,  the  white  horse,  masc. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  At)  CApodl  ban.  T)a  c<xp<xill  Bar)A. 

Gen.   at)  c<xp<xill  b*vin.  tja  5-CApall  Tn-b«u). 

Dat.    o'l)  3-c<\p<vll  bat),  or  <5't)a  c<\p<dUib  b&na. 

Th-ban. 

Voc.  a  c<vp<\ill  bain.  a  capaIIa  bana. 

&T)  p uired5  be*3,  the  little  lark,  fern. 

Nom.  at)  fmireos  beAj.  t)a  ^a]ye6^<\  beA^A. 

Gen.   n<v  r«ireoi5e  bi.^e.  t)a  b-THtire65  n)-be<vs. 

Dat.    6'T)  b-puireois  ^5.  6't)<v.  Tmire65<v)b  be<v5<u 

Voc.   a  T>ixire65  be<xg.  a  puired^ci  beA5A. 


CHAP,    in.]  THE    ADJECTIVE.  35 

&r)  CT)oc  Arib,  the  high  hill,  masc. 

Nom.  at)  cr)oc  ATxb.  Nom.  t)a  ctjuic  &TibA. 

Gen.   at)  CT)ttfc  *vijib.  Gen.   t)a  5-cr,<oc  T)-ATib. 

Dat.   6't)  5-t)oc  «iTib.  Dat.   o't)a  cr)ocAib'  AjvbA. 

VoC.   <V  CT)U1C  Ainb.  Voo.   A  CT)OCA  ATlbA. 

&T)  bo  bub,  the  black  cow,  Jem. 

Nom.  at)  bd  bub.  Nom.  t)a  bA  bubA.  , 

Gen.  t)a  bo  buibe.  Gen.  t)a  TTj-bo  T)-bub. 

Dat.    bo'T)  TT)-bu]r)  bu|b.  Dat.    bo  t)a  buAib  bubA. 

Voc.  a  bd  bub.  Voc.  a  bA  bubA. 


m.  COMPARISON  OF   ADJECTIVES. 

1.  Irish  adjectives  have  three  degrees  of  comparison,  the  same 
as  English  adjectives. 

2.  The  positive  is  the  simple  form  of  the  adjective ;  as  &jib, 
high;  flAiceATT)Ail,  princely. 

8.  The  comparative  and  the  superlative  have  the  same  form, 
which  is  that  of  the  genitive  singular  feminine;  as  AiTibe, 
plAiceATt)U\;  and  they  are  distinguished  hy  prefixed  particles,  or 
by  the  context. 

4.  The  comparative  has  generally  the  particle  T)fof  (or  nforA, 
or  T)11*a)  prefixed,  and  it  is  usually  followed  by  t)A,  than  (spelled 
also  it)A  and  iot)a)  ;  as  ca  at)  ceAc  fo  nfor  ft-ip-be  t)^  at)  ce  ac  fir), 
this  house  is  higher  than  that  house;  At  A  at)  Iaoc  ub  nfoT* 
T^lAiceATT)lA  v>\  at)  fif5  peir),  "  yonder  champion  is  more  prince- 
ly than  the  king  hiinselr." 

5.  The  superlative  is  often  preceded  by  if  or  -at,  with  the  ar- 
ticle expressed  before  the  noun;  as  at)  -peATi  if  plAiceATT)lA  tat) 
rfri,  the  most  princely  man  in  the  country. 

6.  In  the  comparative,  nfof  is  omitted  when  the  assertion  or 
question  is  made  by  the  verb  it*  in  any  of  its  forms,  expressed  or 
understood;  as  bA  buibe  a  5JiitA5  T)A  -at)  suaI,  "her  hair  was 
blacker  than  the  coal ;  '  if  5lle  rneACCA  T)*v  bAiT)t)e,  snow  is 
winter  than  milk;  ADfe&Tip.  bo  beATibftACAiTi.  T)A  cufA  ?  is  thy 
brother  better  than  thou  ? 

7.  When  the  characteristic  particles  are  not  expressed,  the  con- 
struction generally  determines  whether  t'>e  adjective  is  compara- 
tive or  superlative;  as  at)  eAlAbAT)  ir  UAirle  T)A  filibeACc,  the 
art  which  is  nobler  than  poetry ;  at)  eAlAbAT)  if  tiAirle  aitv  bic, 
"  the  art  which  is  the  noblest  in  the  world." 

8.  An  adjective  in  the  comparative  or  superlative  is  not  inflect- 
ed, all  the  cases  being  alike  in  form. 


33 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[past  n. 


IRREGULAR    COMPARISON. 

1.  TLe  following  adjectives  are  irregularly  compared.  There 
are  a  few  others,  but  their  departure  from  rule  is  so  slight  as  not 
to  require  notice : — 

2.  l_i<x  is  a  comparative  as  it  stands,  signifying  more  (in  num- 
ber); but  it  has  no  positive,  unless  iomb<v,  or  rndriAr)  (many),  or 
some  such  word,  be  considered  as  such. 


Positive. 
be<v5,  little. 
^Ab<x,  long. 
^uriur,  or  UTiuf,  easy. 

T]i  U°°d- 

be<*3,  S 
Tronic,  often, 
rndji,  great, 
olc,  bad. 
ceic,  hot. 


Comparative. 

nfor  lu5<x. 

t)for  r<vibe,  r)for  h<v 

nfor  fur<x,  nfor  ur-a.. 

njor  ^e^riri. 

t)for  rr)ior)c<v. 
T)1or  rno. 
r)for  me<vr<v. 
nfof  ceo. 


Superlative. 

1T  peAriri. 
ir  tt)6. 

ir  rne<vrA. 
ir  ceo. 


11.  There  are  certain  particles  which,  when  prefixed  to  adjec- 
tives, intensify  tluir  signification;  and  in  accordance  with  the 
rule  in  Par.  4,  page  22,  they  aspirate  the  initials  ot  the  adjectives. 

12.  The  principal  ot  these  are  <xn,  pfori,  rid,  rati,  uri:  as  rt)<vic, 
good;  <M)-rr)Aic,  very  good;  5rU\r)n<v,  ugly;  Ffori-5T^0nA,  ex- 
cessively ugly;  n)6]i,  large  ;  tid-rhdri,  very  large;  lAibifi,  strong; 
•r&ri-l&ibiri,  very  strong,  &c. 

IV.  NUMERAL    ADJECTIVES. 

1.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  important  ot  the  numerals, 
both  cardinal  and  ordinal. 

For  the  influence  of  some  of  them  in  aspirating  and  eclipsing* 
and  for  other  syntactical  influences  on  the  noun,  see  Syntax. 


Cardinal. 

Ordinal. 

1. 

<\.0T). 

1st. 

ceAb. 

2. 

b6,  b&. 

2d. 

barm. 

3. 

crif,  cedriA. 

3rd. 

crie<v|*. 

4. 

ce<xc<xiri,  ceicjie. 

4th. 

ce<vcri<vrn<vb\ 

5. 

CU15. 

5th. 

cui5e<\b. 

6. 

re. 

6th. 

reire<vb. 

7. 

■ye&cc. 

7th. 

re<vccrhAb. 

8. 

occ. 

8th. 

occrhab. 

9. 

T)A01. 

9th. 

T)<vorh<vb. 

10 

beic. 

10*. 

be<xcrb<v6. 

11 

■Aon  beoi5. 

11th. 

-aor)rh<vb  be  A3, 

12 

bo  be  A5,  b&  beA.3. 

12  th. 

bAfiA  be  A3. 

13 

crif  be  A3. 

And  so  on,  up  to  and 

including  19. 

13th. 

cfiear  beA5. 

OHAP.   III.] 


THE   AJ)JEOTITE. 


37 


20. 
21 


•I 


80. 


Cardinal, 
rice. 
<von  •a.'r  f\ce,    -AOI) 

<MTt  ficib, 
And  so  on,  up  to  29. 

cftioc-o.b,     ctijoc<\, 
be]c  -a'r  wee. 


20th. 
21st. 

30th. 
33d. 


Ordinal. 
F1ce<v6. 
<\onn)A6 

fnqb. 


<viTt 


!efxf  <qji  C|iioc<vib, 
cfxf  be<x5  -a'r 
nee. 

i  b&     ficl8>     ce<vc- 
40.  >      ti<xc<\.,     ceACfi*- 

(     cab. 
50.     c<vo5<v,  c<xo5<vb. 

C  re<vccTi)03-<v,  re-a.ee- 
70.  <      TT)05<vb,  be]C  <x.'r 
(      crif  Fiqb. 

{OCCT1)03<\.,      occ- 
■ri)05<vb,    ceicfie 
Fiqb. 

f  r)oc<x,  noc<vb,  be-|c 
90. 1      <x'f  ceicjte 

I    riq&- 

100.  ce<\b.  100th. 

1,000.  tnfle.  1,000th. 

2,000.  6'<x.  thfle.  2  000th. 

1,000,000.  n)illiui).  1,000,0000th. 


criioc<vb<x8, 
be<xcrn<xb  <v|fi 
fric]b. 
crie-Af  -aift  criio- 
c<v|b,      rrie<vr 
be<v5  <v|ti  fnqb. 


40th.     ce<vcfi<sic<x.b<\.b. 


50th. 
60th. 

70th. • 

80  th 
90th. 


c<vo3<vb<v8. 
re<xr5<vb<v8,   crif 
P1cibe<xb. 

re<vccrno5<vb<vb, 
be<vcrn<vb   <v]ri 
I     c]%t  ^cib. 
f  occTno3<vb<xb, 

ceicfie     ■picib- 
[     e<v6. 

fr;oc-cvb<\b,    be<vd' 
rn<v.6  <virt  ce^c- 
Tie  ?iqb. 
ce<vb<xb. 
Tt)i'le<v8. 
b&  Tf)fle<vb. 
TT)iUiur)<x8. 


2  Do  and  ce<vc<v|fi  are  used  only  in  the  absence  ot  nouns,  i.e., 
merely  as  the  names  ot  the  numbers;  but  8C\  and  ce^cjie  are  al- 
ways used  when  the  nouns  are  expressed ;  as  b<\.  clu<vir ,  two 
ears;    ce-\tjie  -piri,  four  men. 

8.  "P|6e  is  declined: — Nom.   fice;  gen.  -pice<vb;  dat.  fiqb; 
nom.  plur.  f  ic-|b. 

4.  Ce<xb  has  gen.  ce]b;   nom.  plural,  ce\\bA,  or  ce<vbcot. 

5.  The  following  nouns,  which  are  all,  except  be-|fic,  formed 
from  the  numerals,  are  applied  to  persons  only : — 


bt<\r,  bfr,  two  persons. 
be-||ic,       a  couple, 
cniufi,       three  persons. 
ce<vc|i<vTi,  four 
cui3e<xtv,  five 
reire<v|t,  six 


re<vec-A.T%, 

Tt)6r  feire<xn, 
occ-<vn,    «  eight 

r)or)b<\fi,  T)Aonb<\fi,  nine 
be^cne<vb<\]x,  ten 


seven     persons. 


88  ETYMOLOGY.  [PART  II 

CHAPTER     IV. 
THE  PRONOUN. 

1.  There  are  in  Irish  six  kinds  of  pronouns:— Personal,  Posses- 
sive, Relative,  Demonstrative,  Interrogative,  and  Indefinite. 

I.  PEKSONAL  pronouns. 

1.  There  are  four  personal  pronouns— rne,  I;  cu,  thou; 
fe,  he;  rf,  she;  with  their  plurals,  rinn,  we;  rib'  ye  or  you;  and 
-p-cvb,  they.     These  are  the  simple  forms  of  the  personal  pronouns. 

2.  Each  of  these  takes  an  emphatic  increase  or  postfixed  syllable, 
equivalent  to  the  English  word  self;  and  the  whole  word  thus 
formed  is  called  the  emphatic  form.  The  emphatic  syllables  vary 
their  vowel  part  in  accordance  with  the  rule  c<vol  le  c<vol,  &c. 

3.  The  following  are  the  emphatic  forms: — 20) re,  or  rrjen,  my- 
self; cur<x,  thyself;  rere<\n,  himself;  tire,  herself;  -f*iT)T>e,  our- 
selves; Tdire,  yourselves;  rubral),  themselves. 

4.  The  word  ye]i),  self,  is  often  added  to  the  personal  pronouns, 
not  as  a  particle  but  as  a  separate  word ;  and  it  is  still  more  em- 
phatic than  the  particles  mentioned  in  last  paragraph  ; — rne  peio, 
I  myself;  rf  ^em,  she  hersell. 

5.  The  personal  pronouns  are  all  declined  ;  and  they  may  carry 
the  emphatic  increase  through  all  the  cases. 

6.  The  personal  prorouns  (except  rne),  unlike  nouns,  have  a 
distinct  form  for  the  accusative  (or  ohjeotive)  case.  It  is,  of  course, 
only  the  pronoun  cu  that  is  used  in  the  vocative. 

DECLENSION  OP   PERSONAL   PRONOUNS. 

The  declension  of  the  emphatic  form  of  rne  is  given  as  an  ex- 
ample: observe,  in  this,  the  vowel  changes  in  obedience  to  c<vol 
le  c<xol,  &c. 

2tte,   /. 

Singular.  Plural. 

Nom.  rne,  I.  Nora,  finn,  we. 

Gen.    tt)o,  mine.  Gen.    fcri,  our. 

Dat.    born,  b<vrt),  to  me.  Dat.    bumn,  to  us. 

Ace.   rne,   me.  Ace.   mn  or  rmn,  us. 

20 ire,  myself  (emphatic  form). 

Nom.  rnire,  rneri,  myself.  Nom.  finne,  ourselves. 

Gen.    rno-r<v,  my  own.  Gen.    fcrt-ne,  our  own. 

Dat.    bomrw,    b<\Thr<x.,   to  Dat.    bumne,  to  ourselves. 

myself. 

Ace.  rnire,  rqeri,  myself.  Ace.   irjtje,  finne,  ourselves. 


CHAP.    IT.] 


THE  PRONOUN. 


89 


Ctt,  thou. 


Singular. 
Nom.  cu, 
Gen.   60. 
Dat.    bttic 
Ace.   cu. 
Voc.  cu. 


Nom.  re. 
Gen.   <v. 
Gat.    bo. 
Ace.   e. 


Nona.  rf. 
Gen.   <x. 
Dat.    bp 
Ace.    f. 


Plural. 
Nom.  riB. 
Gen.   Bun,  b<xn. 
Dat.    o<voiti,  bib. 
Ace.   1b,  rjb. 
Voc.   rjb,  1b. 


Se,  he. 


Nom.  ri<*.b- 
Gen.   <v. 
Dat.    bo|b. 
Ace.   i<xb. 


Sf,  she. 


Nora,  ria-b. 
Gen.   a. 
Dat.    bdib. 
Ace.   i<vb. 


PERSONAL  PRONOUNS  COMPOUNDED  WITH  PREPOSITIONS. 

1.  In  Irisli,  the  personal  and  the  possessive  pronouns  unite  with 
prepositions,  each  compound  forming  a  single  word. 

2.  In  each  case  the  preposition  and  tne  pronoun  are  amalgamat- 
ed, and  the  latter  changes  its  form,  so  as  to  be  considerably,  and, 
in  some  cases,  completely  disguised. 

3.  These  "  prepositional  pronouns,"  as  they  are  sometimes 
called,  are  of  constant  occurrence  in  the  language— scarce  a  sen- 
tence in  which  they  are  not  met  with:  they  are  therefore  of  great 
importance,  and  the  learner  should  get  them  all  off  by  heart. 

4.  The  following  prepositions  unite  with  personal  pronouns: — 
A5;  oiin  or  -Art;  <vno  or  y,  <vr;  cum;  be;  bo;  eibiri  or  ibm;  ■?& 
or  paoi;  le;  0  or  ua;  T10^;  re<vc;  C4.fi;  cyie;  u<vn;  urr>  or  p^). 

5.  The  following  are  the  combinations  of  these  prepositions 
with  the  personal  pronouns. 

6.  The  emphatic  particles  may  be  used  with  these  combinations 
also,  as  well  as  with  the  uncoinpouncled  pronouns,  of  which  one 
example  is  given: — 


&5,  at  or  with. 


Singular. 
<x5<vrf),  with,  or  at  me. 
■C15-&C,  -A5<xO,  with  thee. 
<M5e,  with  him. 
<v|ce  or  <qq,  with  her. 


Plural. 
<\.5<vinr).  with  us. 
•015-0.1  b,  with  you. 
<vc<v  or  <\.cu,  with  them. 


40  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   II. 

The  same  with  the  emphatic  increase. 

Singular.  Plural. 

<\.5<xtt)r<v,  with  myself.  <\5<\.iTyne,  with  ourselves. 

A5Acr<v,  with  thyself.  -&5<vibre,  with  yourselves. 

Ai5ere<vr),  with  himself.  <vc<vr<vn,  with  themselves. 
-aicire,  with  herself. 

?lin  or  -cvn,  upon. 

onrn,  on  me.  onn-cvin,  on  us. 

one,  on  thee.  onn<vib,  on  you. 

<xin,  on  him.  on.n<v,  onc-A,  on  them. 


ui  nne,  on  her. 


&nn  or  1,  in. 


lonnam,  in  me.  lonnainn,  ior)<xir)n,  in  us. 

lonnac,  ionr)<vb,  in  thee.  lonnaib,  in  you. 

■Ann,  in  him.  -|onnc<v,  in  them, 
innce,  innq,  in  her. 

&r,  out  of. 

<vr<xtt),  out  of  me.  -ft.r-a.inn,  out  of  us. 

<xr<xc,  oir-ab,  out  of  thee.  <xr<\.ib,  out  of  you. 

<\r,  out  of  him.  <vrc<v,  <vfcu,  out  of  them. 
<v|rce,  <virq,  out  of  her. 

Curn,  towards,  unto. 

cu5-4.1i),  unto  me.  c  1154.1  nn,  unto  us. 

cti5<\c,  uDto  thee.  cu*j4]b,  unto  you. 

cuise,  unto  him.  cuc<v,  unto  them. 
cuici,  unto  her. 

De,  from  or  uff. 

bfoit),  off  or  of  me.  bfnrt,  off  us. 

b'6c,  off  thee.  bfb,  off  you. 

be,  off  him.  bfob,  off  them. 
bi,  off  her. 

Do,  to. 

b4tn,  born,  bdrn,  to  me.  buinn,  to  us. 

buic,  to  thee  b<voib,  bfb,  to  you. 

bo,  to  him.  bdjb,  to  them, 
bi,  :o  her. 

6ibin,  between. 

e<vbu<xTT),  between  me.  e<vbn<vi pi),  between  us. 

e4bn.4C,  between  thee.  e<\bri<vib,  between  yom 

ewn.  e,  between  him.  e<xconn<x,  between  them, 
eibin  j,  between  her. 


CHAP.    IV.]  THE   PRONOUN.  41 

T'<\  or  F0101,  under. 

Singular.  Plural, 

putt),  under  me.  f  *Mnn,  under  us. 

^uc,  under  thee.  -puib,  under  you. 

f  <voi,  under  him.  f  uc<x,  under  them. 
F tV|ce,  under  her. 

V|om,  with  me.  llt)r),  with  us. 

le<xc,  with  thee.  lib,  with  you. 

leif,  with  him.  leo,  with  them. 
\&yte,  lei,  with  her. 

Le  is  often  written  fie  in  books,  and   its  pronominal   combina- 
tions in  this  form  are  often  met  with.     They  are  as  follows: — 

|i1om,  with  me.  T1!"1),  with  us. 

•fiinc,  with  thee.  flit),  with  you. 

Tqr,  with  him.  |V|U,  with  them. 
iq<v,  with  her. 

0  or  u<v  from. 

.ti<\iTt),  from  me.  uaiut),  from  us. 

u<vic,  from  thee.  u<vib,  from  you. 

U<x6,  from  him.  u<\ca,  from  them. 
u<v|ce,  u^ice,  from  her. 

T?oirh,  before. 

txorhATT),  before  me.  fv6rn<vinr),  before  us. 

Tiott)<\c,  before  thee.  fion)^,   before  you. 

TtoiTf)e,  before  him.  |idmp<x,  before  them, 
jxoimpe,  jtoimpi,  before  her. 

Se<xc,  beside. 
Teac<\.m,  beside  me.  fe<\.c<v|rin,  beside  us. 

■re<xc<*c,  beside  thee.  re<vc<xib,  beside  you. 

Te<vc  e,  beside  him.  fe<vc<x,  beside  them. 

re<xc  f,  beside  her. 

C<xfx,  beyond,  over. 

cojim,  c<xjvTn,  over  me.  cotitiAinn,    c<\.Tt|i<v|iyr),  over 

us. 
cofic,  cajic,  over  thee.  cotifiaib,  c<x|iTi-A.ib,  over  you. 

c<xiTnr,  over  him.  ii\^ixc^i  c<vfir-A,  over  them, 

co^-ft  rce,  c<v||xri,  over  her. 

Cfie,  through. 
Cfxforn,  through  me.  ^fifon,  through  us. 

ctxIoc,  through  thee.  Cjifb,  through  you. 

Cfifb,  through  him.  cjijoca,  through  them. 

cn-fce,  c-fvjq,  through  her. 


43  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   II. 

"Hat/,  above. 

Singular.  Plural. 

tt<vT<nt),  above  me.  u<vr<v|T)T),  above  us. 

u<vr<vc,  above  thee.  u-a.T/<v|b,  above  you. 

u<vra,  above  him.  uatca,  above  them. 
u<vi,rce,  uoqrq,  above  her. 

Utt)  or  prt),  about. 

ttTt)ATt),  about  me.  ttnj-svim),  about  us. 

UTtj-AC,  about  thee.  utt)<viB,  about  you. 

uirtje,  about  him.  tiTi)p<v,  about  them, 
ttimpe,  ttin)pi,  about  her.' 

H.  POSSESSIVE   PEONOTJNS. 

1.  The  possessive  pronouns,  which  are  merely  the  genitives  of 
tl.e  personal  pronouns,  are  as  follows: — tt)o,  my;  bo,  thy;  <v,  his 
or  her;  up,  our;  b<vTi  or  blip,  your;  <v,  their.  The  three  posses- 
sives,  <v,  his,  <x,  her,  and  <v,  their,  are  distinguished  by  the  initial 
letter  changes  of  the  next  word.  (See  pages  14,  16,  17  ;  see 
also  Syntax.) 

2.  The  o  of  p)0  and  bo  is  omitted  before  a  vowel  or  before  t> ; 
as  tp'acaip,  my  father;  Tn'pe-cvpApp,  my  land.  And  bo  is  often 
changed,  before  a  vowel,  to  c,  c,  and  h;  as  c'<vcA/|p,  c'<v.cotp>,  or 
r)-<\.c<^p,  thy  father. 

8.  The  possessive  pronouns  also  take  the  emphatic  increase, 
with  this  peculiarity,  however,  that  the  emphatic  particle  always 
follows  the  noun  that  comes  after  the  possessive,  or  if  the  noun 
be  qualified  by  one  or  more  adjectives,  the  emphatic  particle 
comes  last  of  all ;  and,  in  accordance  with  the  rule  caoI  le  c<vol, 
its  vowel  is  generally  broad  or  slender  according  as  the  last  vowel 
ofthewordit  follows  is  broad  or  slender;  as  rno  ceAC-r<v,  my 
house,  or  my  own  house ;  rno  ce<xc  ipop  bttibe-n,  my  great  yel- 
low house.  And  these  again  may  be  followed  by  peip,  (Par.  4, 
page  38),  rendering  the  expression  still  more  emphatic;  as  rtjo 
ce<vc-r<v  pep},  my  own  house. 

POSSESSIVE  PEONOTJNS  COMPOUNDED  WITH   PBEPOSITIONS. 

1.  The  possessive  pronouns  are  amalgamated  with  prepositions, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  the  personal  pronouns;  as  be^p  be<M)- 
ttacc  ort)  cpoibe,  bear  a  blessing /row  my  heart. 

2.  The  following  are  the  most  important  of  these  combina- 
tions : — 

&T)r),  in. 

Singular.  Plural. 

att),  •att)1,  in  my.  inup,  'pup,  in  our. 
<vb,  <vb',  in  thy.  — 

lopnu,  1i)A,  't)<v,  in  his  or  her,  1ot)a,  p)A,  't)<v,  in  their. 


CHAP.    T.]  THE    PRONOUN.  13 

Do.  to. 

Singular.  Plural, 

born,  borr)',  to  ray.  btxji,  b'&fi,  to  our. 
bob,  bob',  to  thy.  — 

bo.,  b'<v,  to  his  or  her.  bo.,  b'<v,  to  their. 

le,  with. 

lern,  leu)',  with  my.  left,  le'fi,  with  our. 

leb,  leb',  with  thy.  — 

lei)<x,  le  i)-<v,  with  hit  or  her.     let)*,  le  n-<v,  with  their. 

O  or  u<x,  from. 

orn,  on)',  from  my.  o^T1)  o'|i,  from  our. 

6b,  6b\  from  thy.  — 

6no>,  6  T)-<v,  from  his  or  her.        6t)<x,  o  T)<v,  from  their. 

3.  Those  that  are  identical  in  form  and  different  in  meaning 
are  distinguished  by  the  initial  letter  changes  they  produce  in  the 
next  word;  as  ono.  qj,  from  his  house;  6x)<\  C15,  from  her  house; 
onoi  b-ci5,  from  their  house. 

4.  These  combinations  can  also  take  the  emphatic  increase,  like 
those  of  the  personal  pronouns,  with  the  peculiarity,  however, 
noticed  in  Far.  3,  above;  as  on)  615  H)6n.  *vfib-r<x,  from  my  great 
high  house. 

m.   RELATIVE  PRONOUNS. 

1.  There  are  three  relative  pronouns  in  Trish:-  -<t,  who,  which, 
that;  T)oc,  who,  which,  that;  n<vc,  which  not;  as  oil)  ee  <x 
bu<v|le<\r,  the  person  who  strikes;  <M)  I10.15  t)oc  <v  beifi  30 
b-^u^l  cu  rl&O,  the  physician  that  says  that  you  are  well;  -0.1) 
re  i)oc  b-f  u^l  l^vjbffij  nj  f  uloqji  bo  beic  5I1C,  "  the  person  who 
is  not  strong,    it  is  necessary  for  him  to  be  wise." 

2.  D&  sometimes  takes  the  place  of  the  relative  <v;  and  in 
some  grammars  it  is  counted  as  a  distinct  relative  pronouu;  as 
c«v|b  i)a  5<v.olc<v  -jr  te&v-V-  ^surn  bo.  b-puil  <v  b-c<vl<vri) 
'6iTie<vi)n,  "  i  have  the  best  friends  that  are  (to  be  found)  in  the 
land  of  Erin."     And  sometimes  bo  s'ands  for  the  relative  ■&.. 

3.  The  relative  <c  has  sometimes  the  sense  ot  "all  which"  or 
"all  that;"  as  bei|i  beovi)i)o.cc  curl)  -a.  Tno.iTieo.i)n  be  fioljiAic 
Jfi  <v'r  6ibip,  "  bear  a  blessing  to  all  that  live  of  the  seed  of  Ir 
andEber;"  <x  b-puil  ro*n  co.l<\.Ti)  b\v|cii)e  2t)h'o>ii)e,  "all  that 
are  in  the  land  of  the  tribe  of  Maine." 

4.  The  relative  pronouns  are  not  declined. 

IV.  DEMONSTRATIVE  PRONOUNS. 

1.  The  demonstrative  pronouns  are  ro,  this,  these;  fit),  that, 
those;  rtto  or  uo,  yonder;  as  -an  f eo.fi  ro,  this  man;  i)<v  it)i)*\ 
Tin,  those  women;  ruo  \  rfcr,  "  yonder  she  (moves)  below," 


41        •  ETYMOLOGY.  TPART   IL 

V.  INTERROGATIVE  PRONOONS. 

1.  There  are  usually  reckoned  three  interrogative  pronouns:  - 
c]<y  or  ce,  who?  c^v,  what?  where?  cab  or  cfieub,  what?  ai 
q<i  C|iuc<vi5  cu?  who  created  thee  ?  c<\.b  beifi  cu  ?  what  say  est 
thou?  c<v  b-puil  at)  f e<xn  f|n?  where  is  that  man?  cneub  -|r 
ei5iT)?  what  is  necessary? 

VI.  INDEFINITE  PRONOUNS. 

1.  The  following  are  the  principal  indefinite  pronouns: — 

<vot),  one.  ce<xcc<vn,  either. 

ei,5in,  some,  certain.  uile,  all. 

e-|le,  oi le,  other.  <x  cede,  each  other. 

cfc.6,  all.  <xn  ce,  <vn  cf,  the  person  who. 

5<vc,  each,  every.  q<v  b'e,  qbe,  51  be,  whoever. 

5<vc  uile,  every. 

2.  The  indefinite  pronouns  are  not  declined;  except  c&c,  which 
has  a  genitive  form,  c&ic;  and  5<vc,  which  is  sometimes  made 
5<xc<v  in  the  genitive. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  VERB. 

1.  Irish  verbs  are  inflected  for  number,  person,  mood,  tense,  and 
voice. 

2.  The  conjugation  is  arranged,  not  according  '  to  the  initial 
changes,  but  according  to  terminations. 

3.  As  to  the  initial  changes: — See  pages  15  and  55  for  the  par- 
ticles that  aspirate,  and  page  17  tor  the  particles  tnat  eclipse,  the 
initials  of  verbs. 

I.  PERSONS:  SYNTHETIC  AND  ANALYTIC  FORMS. 

1.  The  verb  has  three  persons  singular  and  three  persons 
plural;  and  it  has  inflections  for  the  whole  six  in  the  indicative 
and  conditional  moods  of  the  active  voice,  except  in  one  tense  of 
tlie  indicative. 

2.  The  eix  forms  of  the  present  tense,  indicative  mood,  active 
voice,  of  the  verb  C05,  take,  are  as  follows: — 

Singular.  .  Plural. 

1.  c6,5<\.irn,  I  take.  1.  co^Arn-cvoib,  we  take. 

2.  C05<\ui,  thou  takest.  2.  C05-A01,  ye  take. 

3.  cd5<xib  re,  he  takes.  3.  co5<vib,  they  take. 

3.  This  is  what  is  called  the  synthetic  form  of  the  verb.  The 
synthetic  form  is  that  in  which  the  persons  are  expressed  by  in- 
actions or  terminations, 


CHAP.    T.]  THE     VERB.  45 

4.  These  six  forms  express  the  sense  perfectly,  without  the  ac- 
companiment of  the  pronouns  (except  in  the  case  of  the  third  per- 
son singular):  that  is  C05AIP,  as  it  stands,  without  using  along 
•with  it  the  pronoun  cu,  thou,  expresses  perfectly  "thou  takest;" 
and  so  of  the  others. 

5.  But  there  is  another  way  of  expressing  the  persons,  singular 
and  plural,  namely,  by  using  one  form  of  the  verb  for  the  whole 
six,  and  putting  in  the  pronouns  to  distinguish  the  persons  and 
numbers.     This  is  what  is  called  the  analytic  form  of  the  verb. 

6.  In  this  analytic  mode  ot  expressing  the  persons  and  num- 
bers, the  form  of  the  verb  that  is  used  is  the  same  as  the  form  for 
the  third  person  singular;  and  the  persons,  singular  and  phiral,  are 
expressed  as  follows : — 

1.  co5<viS  me,  I  take.  1.  C050118  rin,  we  take. 

2.  C05<v|6  cu,  thou  takest.  2.  £05*18  rib,  ye  take. 

3.  C05A16  re,  he  takes.  3.  co5<\i6  TM<\b,  they  take. 

7.  The  third  singular  of  the  verb  is  not  a  synthetic  form 
like  the  other  rive,  that  is,  it  does  not  include  the  pronoun  as  they 
do.  In  the  third  person  singular,  therefore,  the  pronoun  must  be 
always  expressed  in  order  to  distinguish  the  number  and  person; 
unless  there  is  a  noun,  or  that  the  nominative  is  in  some  other 
way  obvious  from  the  construction. 

8.  But  generally  speaking  it  is  not  allowable  to  express  any 
other  pronoun  along  with  the  corresponding  synthetic  lorm  of  the 
verb:— For  example,  it  would  be  wrong  to  say  be<vr)Aim  me  or 
be<vr)<vrr)\voib  finn,  both  expressions  being  tautological. 

9.  This  rule,  in  the  case  ot  the  third  person  plural,  however,  is 
sometimes  not  observed;  for  such  expressions  as  mol<vib  rf-Ab 
and  mol^-Aib  ri<vb — they  praise,  they  will  praise — are  often  met 
with,  though  rnol<v|b  or  mol^Aib  alone  would  answer.  And  a 
like  construction  (in  the  third  plural)  is  otten  used  when  the 
nominative  is  a  plural  noun,  both  in  the  present  and  in  the  past 
tense;  as  cpiv\ll<vib  rnic  2D]le<\b,  "the  sons  of  Mile  go;  m-cvp 
bo  corjc<vb<\.ri  r)<v  briaoice,  "  when  the  druids  saw." 

10.  The  emphatic  particles  may  be  posttixed  to  all  the  persons 
of  verbs,  in  the  same  manner  as  to  pronouns  and  nouns  (p.  38) ;  as 
rnol oqm-re,  I  praise;  m0l-a.1n.-re,  thou  praisest.  And  in  all 
such  cases,  the  word  ]te\i)  (p.  38)  may  be  used  to  make  the  expie-*- 
sion  still  more  emphatic;  as  bo  cuipfprjp-re  ^ejP  mo  le<vnb' 
4.  cobl<vb,  "1  myself  would  put  my  child  to  sleep." 

11.  The  general  tendency  of  modern  languages  is  to  drop  syn- 
thetic forms,  and  to  become  more  analytic.  The  English  language, 
for  example,  has  lost  nearly  all  its  inflections,  and  supplied  their 
place  by  prepositions,  conjunctions,  adverbs,  and  auxiliary  verbs. 
Following  this  tendency,  the  synthetic  tonus  of  the  Irish  verb  are 
falling  into  disuse  m  the  spuken  language;  and  it  has  been  already 


46  ETYMOLOGY.  [PART  IL 

remarked  (page  26)  that  the  noun-inflection  ib'  is  no  longer  used 
in  speaking.*  But  all  these  forms  are  quite  common  in  even  the 
most  modern  Irish  books;  and  the  learner  must,  therefore,  make 
himself  quite  familiar  with  them. 

n.  tenses.  * 

1.  In  English  a  regular  verb  has  only  two  different  forms  to 
express  tense : — I  love,  I  loved  ;  all  the  other  tenses  are  expressed 
by  means  of  auxiliaries. 

2.  In  Irish,  a  regular  verb  has  five  different  forms  in  the  indica- 
tive mood  for  tense.  Reckoning  those  tenses  only  which  are  ex- 
pressed by  inflection,  an  Irish  regular  verb  has  therefore  five 
tenses  in  the  indicative  mood. 

3.  The  five  tenses,  with  the  synthetic  f^rins  for  the  first  person 
singular  of  the  regular  verb  501  fi,  call,  are: — 

(1.)  The  present;  5oirf)rn,  I  call. 

(2.)  The  consuetudinal  or  habitual  present;  50ifie<vnr)  rne,  I 
am  in  the  habit  of  calling. 

(3.)  The  past,  or  simple  past,  or  perfect  (for  it  is  known  by  all 
these  three  names) ;  bo  5oi;ve<xf,  I  called. 

(4.)  The  consuetudinal  or  habitual  past ;  bo  soifiinr),  I  used  to 
call,  or  I  used  to  be  calling. 

(5.)  The  future;  50|ripe<vb,  I  shall  or  will  call. 

III.  MOODS  AND  VOICES. 

1.  The  Irish  regular  verb  has  four  moods: — The  Imperative,  the 
Indicative,  the  Conditional,  and  the  Infinitive.  These  are  the 
only  moods  for  which  the  regular  verb  has  distinct  inflections. 

2.  There  are,  indeed,  other  moods,  which  are  expressed,  not  by 
inflection,  but  by  means  of  certain  conjunctions  and  particles  set 
before  the  verb ;  and  these  additional  moods  are  given  in  con- 
jugation in  some  Irish  grammars;  hut  as  their  forms  do  not  differ 
from  the  forms  of  the  five  given  above,  they  are  not  included 
here. 

3.  It  is  only  the  indicative  mood  of  the  verb  that  has  tense  in- 
flection ;  in  each  of  the  other  moods  there  is  only  one  tense. 

4.  There  are  two  voices,  the  active  and  the  passive.  It  is  only 
in  the  active  voice  that  there  are  personal  inflections;  in  the 
passive  voice,  the  three  persons  singular  and  the  three  persons 
plural  have  all  six  the  same  form,  rendering  it  necessary,  of 
course,  that  the  pronoun  be  always  expressed  when  there  is  no 
noun. 

*  This  is  true  only  in  certain  parts  of  Ireland;  in  Connaught  it  is 
very  generally  pronounced. 


CHAP.  T.]  THE  VEBB.  47 

IV.  CONJUGATION  OF  A  REGULAR  VEBB. 

t)u<v]l,  strike. 

A  CTI  V  E     V  0  ICE. 

Imperative   Mood. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1 1.  bu<vilimjr,  let  us  strike. 

2.  bttA-|l,  strike  thou.  2.  biKxiljb,  strike  ye. 

3.  bu<vile<xb  re,  let  him    3.  bu<vilibfr,  let  them  strike. 

strike. 

Indicative   Mood. 

Present    Tense. 

1.  buoqlitt),  I  strike.  1.  bu<viliti)fb,  we  strike. 

2.  bu-cqliTi,  thou  strikest.       2.  bu<vilrj,  ye  strike. 

3.  bu<xilib°  re,  be  strikes.       3.  bu<vil]b,  they  strike. 

Consuetudinal  or  Habitual  Present. 

Du<xile<vT)T)  Tt)e,  I  usually  strike. 

{The  same  form  for  all  persons  and  numbers.) 
Past. 

1.  bu<v|leAf)  I  struck.  1.  buok.ile<vrr)A|i,  we  struck. 

2.  bu<xilif,  thou  struckest.     2.  bua]le<vb<xti,  ye  struck. 

3.  bu<\/|l  re,  he  struck.  3.  buAile<\b<vfi,  they  struck 

Consuetudinal  Past. 

1.  bu<v.ilim),     I    used    to     1.  bu-Ail^fr,  we  used  to  strike. 

strike. 

2.  bu<*.-|lc;e*v,   tbou  usedst    2.  bu^lcf,  ye  used  to  strike. 

to  strike. 

3.  bu<Mle<\b   re,   he  used     3.  bu<v|libfr,     they      used     to 

to  strike.  strike. 

Future 

1.  bu<vil^e<\b,  I  will  strike.    1.  ba<v]lpiTt)fb,  we  will  strike. 

2.  bu<vil^iTi,    thou    wilt        2.  buA^lpib,  ye  will  strike. 

strike. 

3.  bu<vVlFlb   re,  he  will      3.  bttailpib,  they  will  strike. 

strike. 
{For  the  relative  form  of  this  tense,  see  page  49). 

Conditional  Mood. 

1.  bu<vilpii)i),     I    would       1.  btt<xilf*iri)fr,  we  would  strike. 

strike. 

2.  bu<v-|lpea,  thou  wouldst    2.  bu^lf  ]b,  ye  would  strike. 

strike. 
8.  bu<vilpe<vb,  r§,  he  would  3.  bit<v^lpibff,     they     would 
strike.  strike. 


48  etymology.  [pabt  u. 

Infinitive  Mood. 
Do   buAl<v6,   to  strike. 
t  Participle. 

!  &5  bu<xl<v6,  striking. 

PASSIVE     VOICE. 

Imperative  Mood. 

(Ihesameas  the  Indicative  Present.) 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present  Tense. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  bu<vilce«iti    tne,  I   am     1.  bu<vilce<xrv   nnn   or  f r)T>»  we 

struck.  are  struck. 

2.  bu<xilce<vfi     cvi,    thou     2.  bu*v|lce<vjt  fib   or  -jb,  ye  are 

struck.  struck. 

3.  bu<xilce<\.fi    e,    be    is    3.  bttoqlce<v.|i     ]<\b,     they    are 

struck.  struck. 

Consuetudinal   Present. 

(Same  as  the  Indicative  Present.) 

Past. 

1.  bu<vile<x6  tt)e,    I  was    1.  bu<iile<xb  tint)  or  inn,    we 

struck.  were  struck. 

2.  bu<v|le<vS  cu,  tbou  wast   2.  bu<\.ile<vb  r]b  or  ib,  ye  were 

struck.  struck. 

3.  bvuv|le<vb   e,    he    was    3.  bu<xile<v5    ]<vb,     they     were 

struck.  struck. 

Consuetudinal  Past. 

1.  buoqlnf  rt)e,  I  used  to     1.  bu<\ilcf  rit)r>  or  inn,  we  used 

struck.  to  be  struck. 

2.  bu<vilcf  cu,  thou  usedst    2.  bu<v|lc|  r^b  or  ib,  ye-used  to 

to  be  struck.  be  struck. 

3.  bu<v|lcf  e,   he  used   to     3.  ba<xilcf  }<vb,  they  used  to  be 

be  struck.  struck. 

Future. 

1.  bu<v|lf*e<vri  n>e,  I  shall     1.  buailpean  not)  -or  -\i)T),   we 

or  will  be  struck.  shall  or  will  be,  struck. 

2.  btKvilpeATi    cd,    thou     2.  buA^lpe-cvrv  r)b  or  ib,  ye  shall 

shalt  or  wilt  be  struck.  or  will  be  struck. 

3.  bu<vilpe<v|i  e,  he  shall      3.  bu<vilpe<!i|i  i<vb,   they  shall  or 

or  will  be  struck.  will  be  struck. 


OHAP.   V.]  THE   VERB.  49 

CONDITIONAL  MOOD. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  buAd^fbe  me,  I  would    1.  bttAilpfbe   y\t)X)    or  1,T)T),   we 

be  struck.  would  be  struck. 

2.  biK^lpfbe     cu,    thou     2.  bu.A|lf  ]6e  r]b  or  i.b,  ye  would 

wouldst  be  struck.  be  struck. 

3.  buAilpjbe  e,  be  would     8.  bu<vflp|6e    i,Ab,    they  would 

be  struck.  be  struck. 

Infinitive  Mood. 

Do  beic  bit <vj Ice,  to  be  struck. 

Participle. 
t)UAi.lce,  struck. 

TV.    RELATIVE  FORM  OF  THE  VERB. 

1.  Besides  tbe  forms  given  in  the  preceding  conjugation,  the 
verb  has  what  is  called  a  "  relative  form,"  i.e.,  a  form  used  after 
a  relative  pronoun.  In  two  of  the  tenses  of  the  indicative  mood, 
namely,  the  present  and  the  future,  the  relative  form  has  a  distinct 
inflection,  viz.,  at*,  e<vr,  or  ]oy. 

2.  For  instance,  "the  person  who  calls,"  is  translated,  not  by 
•at)  ce  -a  501P16  (3rd  singular  form),  but  by  -at)  ce  -a  5oipe<x.r ;  and 
"he  who  will  steal,"  is  not  -a?)  ce  a  50ibpi'6  (3rd  singular  form), 
but  at)  ce  -a  50ibt?e-Ar.  In  other  tenses  and  moods  the  relative 
form  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  third  person  singular. 

3.  This  form  of  the  verb  is  often  used  even  when  its  nominative 
is  not  a  relative,  but  a  noun  or  personal  pronoun,  to  express  the 
"  historical  present,"  i.e.,  the  present  tense  used  for  the  past;  as 
T:i<VT;TiAi5eAr  &lri)lTV510  a  h-AiT)m  61,  "  Amergin  asks  her  name 
of  her."  (See  for  a  further  account  of  the  historical  present,  p.  50) 

4.  And  not  unfrequently  the  relative  form  is  used  as  an  or- 
dinary present;    as,     Jr    TT)6p.    -AT)    C-10T)5T)A  llOTT)fA,    T)AC  b'OlrJT) 

i-ATXfiAr  "Piot)t)  Trnre,  "  It  is  a  great  wonder  to  me  that  it  is  not 

for  Uisin  Finn  seeks  (iAfip.Ar)  me." 

3 

V.    FORMATION  AND   TJSES   OF  THE  MOODS  AND  TENSES  OF  REGULAR 

VERBS. 

1.  The  second  person  singular  of  the  imperative  mood,  active 
voice,  is  the  root  or  simplest  form  of  the  verb,  from  which  all 
the  other  persons,  moods,  and  tenses  are  formed  directly,  by  affix- 
ing the  various  terminations. 

2.  Verbs  which  end  in  a  consonant  preceded  by  a  slender  vowel 
have  all  their  inflections  precisely  alike  those  of  buAil  (with  the 
exception  mentioned  in  Par.  4,  page  52);  and  they  all  begin  with 
a  slender  vowel  (except  sometimes  that  of  the  infinitive)  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  rule  caoII  e  caoI,  &c. 


50  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   U. 

3.  Bat  when  the  final  consonant  is  preceded  by  a  broad  vowel, 
the  synthetic  terminations  begin  with  a  broad  vowel,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  same  rule.  A  table  of  the  full  conjugation  of  a  re- 
gular verb,  ending  in  a  broad  vowel,  is  given  at  page  55. 

4.  The  root  generally  remains  unchanged  through  all  the  varia- 
tions of  tne  verb,  except  that  it  occasionally  suffers  a  trifling 
change  in  the  infinitive.  The  cases  in  which  the  root  suffers 
change  in  the  infinitive  are  mentioned  in  Par.  4,  page  51.  See 
also  Par.  8,  page  53. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 

1.  The  present  tense  is  formed  by  affixing  the  six  personal  ter- 
minations -|tt)  (or  <\itn),  ifi  (or  <vin\),  &c.,  to  the  root. 

2.  The  historical  present  i.e.,  that  is  the  present  tense  used  for 
the  past,  or  where  past  time  is  intended,  is  very  common  in  Irish ; 
indeed  in  many  narrative  and  historical  pieces  it  occurs  quite  as 
often  as  the  ordinary  past  tense  in  relating  past  transactions;  as, 
O-ala  Jc,  iorno|ino,  oUn)Ui5ce<vn\  lot)5  le-|r,  -'as  to  Ith,  indeed, 
a  ship  is  prepared  by  him"  (instead  of  ollri)Ui5e<v6,  was  pre- 
pared). 

3.  It  has  been  already  remarked  (Par.  3,  page  49),  that  the  rela- 
tive form  of  the  verb  is  often  used  for  the  historical  present;  as 
i)occ<vji  eiriernon  ba|b,  "  Eremon  reveals  to  them." 

Consuetudinal    Past   and   Present. 

1.  These  tenses  express  customary  action ;  as  lei5e<vtyn  tt)6,  I 
am  in  the  habit  of  reading;  le]5e<x6  re,  he  used  to  read,  or  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  reading. 

2.  In  the  sentences,  "  I  write  always  after  breakfast,"  and  "he 
sold  bread  in  his  youth,"  the  verbs  "  write"  and  "sold"  are  used 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  Irish  consuetudinal  tense;  except,  in- 
deed, that  the  idea  is  not  so  distinctly  marked  by  the  English 
phrase  as  by  the  Irish. 

3.  One  of  the  particles  bo  or  jio  is  usually  prefixed  to  the  con- 
suetudinal past;  and  the  initial  consonant  is  generally  aspirated ; 
as  6o  Soifiibfr,  they  used  to  call. 

4.  The  Irish  peasantry  seem  to  feel  the  want  of  these  two 
tenses  when  they  are  speaking  English;  and  they  often,  in  fact, 
attempt  to  import  them  into  the  English  language,  even  in  dis- 
tricts where  no  Irish  has  been  spoken  for  generations;  thus  they 
will  say,  "I  do  be  reading  while  you  do  be  writing;"  "I  used  to 
be  walking  every  day  while  I  lived  in  the  country,"  &c. 

Past  Tense. 

1.  In  the  past  tense  the  initial  consonant  is  aspirated  in  tLe 
active  voice,  but  not  in  the  passive  voice. 

2.  With  the  exception  of  the  aspiration,  the  third  singular  past 
tense  is  the  same  as  the  root. 


OH  A  P.    V.J  TUB   VERB.  51 

3.  One  of  tlie  particles  bo  or  po  is  generally  prefixed  to  the 
past  tense  in  both  voices;  as  bo  f*e<vr<xr,  I  stood;  i\o  cobtair, 
thou  sleepedst;  bo  tnol<v6  i<vb,  they  were  praised  ;  po  bucqleoib 
e,  he  was  struck. 

4.  The  particle  po,  used  as  a  mark  of  the  past  tense,  is  often 
compounded  with  other  particles,  the  n.  only  being  retained,  but 
it  still  causes  aspiration  in  the  active  voice,  as  if  it  were  uncom- 
pounded. 

The  principal  of  these  compounds  are : — 

(1.)  ?lp,  whether?  from  <vp  and  po ;  as  <vp.  btt<v|l  re,  did  he 
strike? 

(2.)  5ttp,  that,  from  30  and  po;  as  cpepbpT)  5ttp  bu<vpl  re,  I 
bel'.eve  thax  he  struck. 

(3.)  20u.nap,  unless,  from  mun<v  and  po;  as  rnup<vp  bu.*il  t§ 
unless  he  struck. 

(4.)  N<\.c<\p,  or  p<\.1p,  or  ri&p,  whether  not?  from  p-ac  and 
po;  as  nap  bttApl  re,  did  not  he  strike? 

(5.)  Nfop,  not,  from  pj  and  po;  as  pfop  biiAp1.  re,  he  did  not 
strike.* 

6.  The  particle  po,  as  a  sign  of  past  tense,  is  also  often  com- 
bined with  the  relative  pronoun  -a;  as  <vp  pe<\p  b'-o>.ji  5e<vll<vr 
mo  le<xb<vp,  the  man  to  whom  I  promised  my  book.  For  a  further 
account  of  this,  see  Syntax. 


Future    Tense. 

1.  All  the  personal  inflections  of  this  tense,  in  both  voices, 
begin  with  the  letter  p,  which,  in  the  spoken  language,  is  often 
sounded  like  r) ;  thus  bunp<vb,  I  shall  shut,  is  colloquially  pro- 
nounced doonhad  (instead  of  doon/ad). 

Conditional  Mood. 

1,  The  particle  bo,  causing  aspiration,  is  often  prefixed  to  verbs 
in  the  conditional  mood;  as  bo  fpAba.lpa.ipr),  I  would  walk. 

2.  But  very  often  also  b*v,  if,  or  rpnp<v,  unless,  is  prefixed,  and 
with  these  particles  the  initial  is  eclipsed;  as  ba  b-p<v,5<vipp-re 
tpo  po(5<x,  "if  I  would  get  my  choice;"  rnun-a.  TT)-bept>e<vb  re, 
"unless  he  would  be." 


*  See  Second  Irish  Book,  by  the  Society  lor  the  Preservation  of  the 
Irish  Language. 


52  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   II 

3.  It  is  important  to  note  that  the  personal  inflections  of  this 
mcod  in  both  voices,  as  well  as  those  of  the  future  indicative,  all 
begin  with  -p. 

,  Infinitive  Mood. 

1.  The  initial  is  aspirated  in  the  infinitive,  whether  the  particle 
bo  or  <v  be  expressed  or  understood.  But  in  some  cases  the  as- 
piration is  prevented  by  other  grammatical  influences,  as  shown 
in  next  paragraph. 

2.  When  the  infinitive  is  preceded  by  one  of  the  possessive  pro- 
nouns, the  initial  of  the  verb  falls  under  the  influence  of  the 
pronoun.* 

(1.)  It  is  aspirated  for  <v,  his;  tt)0,  my;  bo,  thy  (but  here  the 
influence  of  the  pronoun  is  not  perceived,  as  there  would  be  aspi- 
ration without  it) ;  as  bCv  5on<v6,  to  wound  him  (literally  to  his 
wounding,  and  so  of  the  others)  ;  bo  rn'son&b,  to  wound  me  ;  bo 
b'5on<vb,  to  wound  thee. 

(2.)  It  is  preserved  from  aspiration  by  •&,  her  ;  as  b&  5or)<v6,  to 
wound  her. 

(3.)  It  is  eclipsed  by  the  three  plural  possessives;  as  b&n 
t)-5op<vb,  to  wound  us;  bo  bufi  T)-5on<vb,  to  wound  you;  b& 
T)-5o n&b,  to  wound  the m. 

3.  The  general  way  of  forming  the  infinitive  is  by  adding  -a.6  or 
eAb,  the  first  when  the  last  vowel  of  the  root  is  broad;  the  second 
when  the  vowel  is  slender. 

4.  If  the  final  consonant  of  the  root  be  preceded  by  1  as  part  of 
a  diphthong  or  triphthong,  the  final  vowel  is  made  broad  in  the 
infinitive  (which  is  usually,  but  not  always,  done  by  dropping  the 
1);  as  buail,  buod<\.b,  to  strike;  501T),  5on<v6,  to  wound.  But  if 
the  final  consonant  be  preceded  by  1  alone,  the  infinitive  is  formed 
according  to  the  general  rule  in  the  last  paragraph;  as  rnjU, 
Tnille<\b,  to  destroy. 

5.  The  infinitives  ot  many  verbs  are  formed  irregularly,  and 
these  must  be  learned  by  practice.  The  following  are  a  few  of 
such  verbs.  Each  group  exhibits  a  particu1ar  type,  in  which  the 
manner  of  forming  the  infinitive  will  be  obvious  on  inspection  : — 

Root  or  Imperative.  Infinitive. 

e<v3-  b'e<\3,  to  die. 

tn&tn.  bo  f  n*uh,  to  swim, 

dl.  b'ol,  to  drink. 


*  For  the  influence  of  the  possessive  pronouns,  see  pages  15, 17 , 
and  see  also  Syntax. 


CHAP.   T.]  THE    YEBB.  68 

Root  or  imperative.  Infinitive. 

c<vfiTi<xit)5.  bo  c<vT*Tt<M03,  to  draw, 

cttift.  bo  cuti,  to  put. 

501 1,  bo  50I,  to  weep. 

imiTt.  b'limtic,  to  play. 

1T)5il.  to'l03llc,  to  graze. 

b|b"|fi.  bo  6i'bi|ic,  to  banish. 

ce^l.  bo  ceilc,  to  conceal. 

F&5-  b'  ■p^k.gBfcil,  to  leave. 

5<xb.  bo  5<vb4v^l,  to  take. 

C05.  bo  c05bft.1l,  to  lift. 

lewt).  bo  lc<\.n-<vrb<xin,  to  follow. 

c<vill.  *                            bo  c<v|lle<ut)<viT),  to  lose. 

o]l.  b'oile<xTt)<\-|n,  to  nourish., 

•poill.  b'f:oille<vTf)<xin,  to  suit. 

5lu<xit\  bo  5lu<\r<vcc,  to  move, 

eirc.  b'eireeacc,  to  listen. 

The  Paeticiple. 

1.  The  active  participle  is  merely  the  infinitive  mood,  with 
some  such  particle  as  <*3  prefixed;  as  <V5  bu<xl<xb,  at  beating,  or 
a-beating. 

2.  The  passive  participle  is  generally  formed  by  adding  ce  or 
ce  when  the  last  vowel  of  the  root  is  slender,  and  c<x  or  c<v,  when 
broad. 

When  the  root  ends  in  c,  6,  I,  11,  i),  t)T),  f,  c,  or  5  (except  verbs 
in  1115  or  13),  the  c  of  the  participal  termination  retains  its  sound  : 
after  any  other  consonant,  and  also  in  verbs  in  1x15  or  13,  the  c 
is  aspirated.  In  the  passive  voice,  the  terminations  cap.  and  cf 
follow  the  same  law. 

VI.  veebs  in  tti5,  &c. 

1.  Verbs  of  two  or  more  syllables,  with  the  root  ending  in  1113, 
or  15,  and  some  other  dissyllabic  verbs  ending  in  il,  in,  ip.,  and 
11*,  differ  so  decidedly  from  the  model  verb  in  the  formation  of 
some  of  their  moods  and  tenses,  that  some  writers,*  not  without 
reason,  class  them  as  a  second  conjugation. 

2.  The  difference  lies  in  the  formation  of  the  future  and  of  the 
conditional  in  both  voices ;  the  other  moods  and  tenses  are  formed 
like  those  of  bu<v|l. 

3.  In  btiAil,  and  all  other  verbs  of  its  kind,  the  letter  f  is  a 
characteristic  maik  of  the  future  and  of  the  conditional  mood  in 
both  voices,  as  stated  in  Par.  3,  page  52. 

*  As,  tor  instance,  the  Rev.  Canon  Bourke,  in  his  "  College  Irish 
Grammar." 


54 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[PAKT  IL 


4.  The  verb9  now  under  consideration  have  no  p  in  the  future 
and  conditional,  but  they  take  instead  ed,  before  the  final  con- 
sonant of  the  root. 

5.  In  addition  to  this  change,  verbs  in  1115  and  15  change  5 
into  c;  though  in  the  spoken  language,  both  of  Munster  and  of 
Uonnaught,  the  5  retains  its  place. 

6.  There  is  no  other  inflectional  difference  between  these  verbs 
and  bit <v| I,  the  personal  terminations  following  the  final  conson- 
ant of  the  root  being  the  same  in  all  cases. 

7.  In  the  other  tenses  of  the  indicative,  verbs  in  ]\,  -\r),  iji,  and 
1f  are  almost  always  syncopated  by  the  elision  of  the  vowel  or 
diphthong  preceding  the  final  root-consonant;  as  cob  a]  I,  sleep; 
cobl<v|rn,  I  sleep,  &c.  (But  this  change  is  not  regarded  as  a  gram- 
matical inflection). 

8.  Verbs  in  U15  almost  always  form  their  infinitive  by  dropping 
land  adding  the  usual  termination  <vb;  those  in  15  alone  (not 
preceded  by  u),  retain  the  1  and  take  u  after  it  in  the  infinitive ; 
as  con)<vnxui5,  mark;  infinitive,  corb<vficu5<v6;  C0Tn<\ipdl5,  ad- 
vise; infinitive,  corh<v|riliU5-ab. 

9.  Sometimes  there  are  other  slight;  changes,  caused  chiefly  by 
the  rule  caoI  le  c-aol,  &c,  which  will  be  obvious  on  insjiection. 

10.  The  following  are  a  few  examples  of  the  formation  of  the 
present  and  future  indicative,  and  of  the  conditional  mood,  in  such 
verbs  The  first  person  singular  only  iseiven  in  each  case,  as  the 
other  persons  have  the  same  terminations  as  bu<vpl  and  rne<vll : — 


Root  or  imper- 
ative. 
Dfni5,  direct. 
OrU\bui5,  love. 
L<\.b<x"|Tii  speak. 
C<vn^um3,  draw. 
"For,5<\Tl,  open. 
Cor<Mi),  defend. 

jnmr,  tell. 

Of b^ ft,  banish. 


Pres.  indic- 
ative. 

6frX151TT) 

5TtfcSui5im. 

l<vbn<virt). 

1?or5l<Mtn. 
corr)A-|rn. 

bjbjiin). 


Future  indic- 
ative. 

bfneocAb. 

5rU\ibecc<\.b. 

l<xibedfi<vb. 

c<vifieon5<\b. 

-poir5col<xb. 

coireoo&b. 

innedrAb. 
b|be6[j<\b. 


Conditional  Mood. 

bffie6c<vinn. 
5Ti*M  tteoc-ajni). 

t<x.lbedn<viiyn. 
c<v.i7teor)5Ainn. 

poir.^eoUit)!). 
coirc6n<vinr). 
mneor-cvinn. 
b|bed|iA]nn. 


11.  In  Munster,  verbs  in  il,  m,  lit,  and  }r,  are  conjugated  like 
those  in  ui5  or  15;  and  the  ed  comes  after  the  final  consonant: 
thus  bfbiJi,  banish  is  made  in  the  future  and  conditional, 
b|b|ied5<vb  and  bfbried^Ainn,  as  if  the  verb  were  bfb]i]5. 

12.  A  table  of  the  full  conjugation  of  a  verb  in  u]5  (&pbu]5) 
is  given  at  page  56. 


OHAP.   V.] 


THE    VEEB. 


55 


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56 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[PAST   II. 


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CHAP.  V.]  THE  VEEB. 

VII.  IKBEGULAK  VEKBS. 

1.  There  are  fourteen  irregular  verbs,  several  of  which  are  de- 
fective, i.e.,  want  one  or  more  of  the  moods  and  tenses.  The  con- 
jugation ot  some  of  them,  it  will  he  observed,  is  made  up  of  those 
of  two  or  more  different  verbs. 

2.  It  will  also  be  observed  that  through  all  their  irregularities, 
the  five  synthetic  personal  terminations  remain  unchanged;  for 
which  reason  it  is  scarcely  correct  to  call  these  verbs  irregular  at 
all. 

3.  The  irregular  verbs  are  as  follows:— (1),  c&fm,  lam;  (2), 
the  assertive  verb  ir;  (3),  beijnm,  I  give;  (4),  beiTiim,  I  bear ; 
(5),  cfm,  I  see  (including  peiqm);  (6),  cluiqm,  I  hear;  (7), 
be<u)<vim,  I  do;  (8),  sqm  or  Tjjm,  I  do;  (9),  be^m,  I  say;  (10), 
?<v5<iim  or  3eibim,  1  find;  (11),  iqm,  I  eat;  (12),  TH51™)>  l  reach; 
(13),  cqbim,  I  go;  (14),  qsim,  I  come. 

4.  the  following  is  the  synthetic  conjugation  of  the  irregular 
verbs  (except  in  the  case  of  the  second  verb  -|r,  which  has  no 
synthetic  conjugation).  They  may  be  all  conjugated  analytically, 
by  using  the  third  person  singular  of  each  tense  with  th«  three 
personal  pronouns,  singular  and  plural,  as  shown  in  case  cf  the 
regular  verb,  c6^]6,  at  page  45.  As  an  example,  the  analytic 
conjugation  of  the  present  tense  of  the  first  verb,  c^m,  is  given. 

(1.)  C^xpt),  lam. 

Imperative  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1 1.  bfmfr,  let  us  be, 

2.  bf,  be  thou.  2.  bibjb,  be  ye. 

3.  bi6e<vb'  re,  or  bfob  re,  let  3.  btbjr,  let  them  be. 

him  be. 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present  Tense. 

1.  c«iim,  <vc-&itt),  I  am.  1.  c<xm<voib,    <vc<ur)Aoib,    we 

are. 

2.  c&ifi,  <vc*qp.,  thou  art.  2.  r'<\t<xo],  <\.r'o>t<\o],  ye  are. 

3.  c&  re,  -A.C&  re,  he  is.  3.  c&]b,  -AC&18,  they  are. 

Present  Tense :  analytic  conjugation. 

1.  c&  me,  <xc*t  me,  I  ara.  1.  z'<\  rinn,  *c'<\  nr)rj,  we  are. 

2.  c'<\  cu,  <vc&  cu,  thou  art.        2.  c&  rib,  <\c&  rib,  ye  are. 

3.  c*v  re,  <vcfc  re,  he  is.  3.  c&  n<vb,  <\cfc-n<v6,  they  are 


68  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   II. 

Consuetudinal  Present. 

1.  b|6iTi),  I  am  usually.  1.  bfrr>fb,   bfbmfb,  bfonjAOib, 

we  are  usually. 

2.  bffc>iri,  thou  art  usually.  2.  bfcf,  bfbcf,  ye  are  usually. 

3.  bfbe<vnr)  re,   or   bjonn  -re,     8.  bfb,  bfb-&,  they  are  usually. 

he  is  usually. 

,  Interrogative  and  Negative  Present. 

(The  negative  particle  is  here  used :  see  Par.  3,  page  59.) 

1.  T)f  b^udim,  I  am  not.*  1.   T)f  b-pu-jlmfb,  we  are  not. 

2.  t)1  b-juiilift,  thou  art  not.       2.  nf  b-pailcj,  ye  are  not. 

3.  v>\  h-puil  -pe,  he  is  not.  3.  nf  h-fii'lib,  they  are  not. 

Past  Tense. 

1.  bf6e<xr,  bfor,  I  was.  1.  b|bearr)<vri,     bfom<v|i,    we 

were. 

2.  bfb*r,  bfr,  thou  wert.  2.  bi6e<xb<vfv,      bfob<xri,       ye 

were. 

3.  bfb  |*e,  bf  t6,  he  was.  8.  bf6e<xb<v|i,     bfobari,    they 

were. 

Consuetudinal  Past. 

1.  bfb*r)n,  bft)r),  I  used  to  be.      1.  bfbmfr,  bfmfr,  we  used  to 

be. 

2.  bfbcefc,  bfceSi,  thou  usedst    2.  bfbcf,  bfcf,  ye  used  to  be. 

to  be. 

3.  bf6e<vb    re>    bfob   re,  be     3.  b-|6bfr,  bfbff,  they  used   to 

used  to  be.  be. 

Interrogative  and  Negative  Past. 
(The  negative  particle  is  here  used:  see  Par.  3,  page 59.) 

1.  T)i  Tt<^b<vr,  I  was  not.  1.  nf  rt<vb<v.Tr)<vri,  we  were  not. 

2.  r)f  ii<vboi-|r,  thou  wert  not.       2,  nf  Ti<\b<\.b<vfi,  ye  were  not. 

3.  nf  ri^lb  re5  be  was  not.  3.  nf  fi*b<vb<xri,  they  were  not. 

Future 

1.  bei6e<vb,  I  shall  be.  1.  bebmfb,  we  shall  be. 

2.  be'bifi,  thou  shaltbe.  2.  be^bib,  ye  shall  be. 

3.  bejb  re,  he  shall  be.  3.  be*b|b,  they  shall  be. 

Conditional  Moor>. 

1.  beibir)T),  I  would  be.  1.  beibmfr,  we  would  be. 

2.  be"bce&,  thou  wouldstbe.      2.  beibcf,  ye  would  be. 

3.  be*6e<vb  re,  he  would  be.      3.  be"bfy*,  they  would  be. 

*  These  are  commonly  pronounced  in  conversation  as  if  tha 
b-r*M  were  omitted  in  each  case;  and  accordingly  they  are  often 
contracted  in  books  to  i)f \-\rr),  *)lTiri,  i)fl  re,  &c. 


chap.  v.]  the  verb.  69 

Infinitive  Mood. 
Do  \5e-\i,  to  be. 

Pakticiple. 
&5   be-jc,   being. 

1.  CC\  is  commonly  called  the  substantive  verb,  and  answers 
to  the  verb  "  to  be"  in  English. 

2.  It  has  two  forms,  which  the  regular  verb  has  not,  namely, 
a  form  in  the  present  tense,  for  interrogation  and  negation, 
(b--puiliit)),  and  a  form  in  the  past  tense  tor  the  same  (fi<xb<vr). 
These  two  are  classed  by  O'Donovan  as  a  subjunctive  i&9*rd,  pre- 
sent and  past  tense. 

3.  The  forms  b-puilin)  and  |Kxb<xf  are  used  only — 

(a.)  After  negative  and  interrogative  particles;  as  nf  b--pu.il  f§ 
qnr),  he  is  not  sick  ;  nf  n<v|b  ine  <vnr)  riT),  I  was  not  there:  <vi) 
b-pwil  pjon  in  b<vix  lot)5<xib?  "Is  there  wine  in  your  ships ?" 
&r)  n.<vb<vir  <V5  -an  5-c<vfifi<v|5?  "  Wert  thou  at  the  rock"  (or  at 
Carrick)?  0  f)<\c  b-puil  but  uo>\6  <v5<vim,  "Since  I  cannot 
escape  from  him"  (lit.  "  since  it  is  not  with  me  to  go  from  him")  ; 
■an  b  puil  <x  piof  <v5<xc  }-e]i),  <v  "Fhmt)?  Mf  fmil,  <vti  "Fiont),  "  '  Is 
the  knowledge  of  it  with  thyself,  OFinn?'  'It  i9  not,'  says 
Finn." 

(But  these  forms  are  not  used  after  the  interrogative  qonnotf, 
how?) 

(b.)  After  50,  that;  as  be^Tr)  50  b-pttil  ?6  T^V,  I  say  that 
he  is  well. 

(c.)  After  the  relative  <v  when  it  follows  a  preposition,  or  when 
it  signifies  "all  that"  (Par.  3,  page  43);  as  cfieub  e  <vn  piie<\3- 
ji<\  r<vb<\iii:<iiii  aji  Dhi<v,  -A.5  <v  b-puil  pior  bo  locc?  "What 
answer  wilt  thou  give  to  God,  who  has  a  knowledge  of  thy  sins?" 
(lit.  "  with  whom  is.  a  knowledge");  <v  b--ptt-il  6  ?lc-cli<\c  50 
i)-0lle&r)  TT)6n.  <vn  t)<vn.p.<v|5,  "  All  that  is  from  Ath-cliath  (Dub- 
lin) to  Oilean  mor  an  Bharraigh ;"  bo  bemrnib  -aft  Tt)-biilAC<vii 
t)<vc  be<v5  linn  <v  rn-beufi<vtt)  50  "Fiont)  bpb,  "  We  pledge  our 
word,  that  we  do  not  think  it  little,  all  that  we  shall  bring  of  them 
to  Finn." 

4.  This  verb,  like  verbs  in  general,  has  a  relative  form  for  the 
present  and  future;  but  the  relative  form  of  the  present  is  always 
a  consuetudinal  tense  (whereas  in  regular  verbs  it  is  generally  not 
consuetudinal) ;  as  tnan.  <u)  5-ce<vbn<\.  bjor  (or  bjbe-ar)  <vn  b'<\y 
<vr)  oipcill  bo  tfofx  <vn. -at)  buine;  "in like  manner  death  is  (in 
the  habit  of)  lying  in  wait  always  tor  man." 

5.  The  analytic  form  of  this  verb  is  now  far  more  common  in 
the  spoken  language  than  the  synthetic.  In  asking  a  question  the 
analytic  form  is  often  preferred:  but  in  answering,  the  synthetic  ; 
as  <vn  iKvpb*  cu  <v5  -<vn  5-C<vn^&i5?  Do  bfor  A5  <xn  5-C<vn.n.<vi5. 
"  Wore  you  at  Carrick?"     "  I  was  at  Carrick." 


60  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET   II. 

6.  The  letter  <v  is  often  prefixed  to  the  present  tense  both  in 
speaking  and  writing:  -a.c&  instead  of  c&,  &c. ;  it  is  sometimes 
slightly  emphatic,  but  often  merely  euphonic,  and  does  not  other- 
wise affect  the  meaning. 

7.  This  verb  is  often  used  as  an  auxiliary,  like  the  verb  "to  be" 
in  English;  and  it  is  the  only  verb  in  the  Irish  language  tnat  can 
be  regarded  as  an  auxiliary.  Thus,  instead  of  bu<vilce<vji  me,  I 
am  struck,  we  can  say  t&  rne  bu<v|lce:  for  bo  bu<v|le<v6  me,  I 
was  struck,  bo  bf  rne  buc^lce,  &c. 


(s.)  jr,  u  is. 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present    Tense. 

]f,  it  is:  as,  if  me,  it  is  I;  ]y  cii,  it  is  thou. 

Past   Tense. 

D-a.  or  bub,  it  was;  as  b<x  me,  it  was  I. 

Future  Tense. 

Dub  or  bur,  it  will  be. 

Conditional  Mood. 
t)<vb,  it  would  be. 

1.  This  is  commonly  called  the  assertive  verb. 

2.  It  has  no  inflection  for  person,  being  always  used  in  the  third 
person  singular:  hence  it  is  often  called  the  impersonal  verb. 

3.  It  has  no  other  moods  and  tenses  besides  those  given  above. 

4.  It  takes  other  forms  in  the  modern  language,  some  of  them 
contracted,  which  are  often  puzzling  to  learners. 

5.  After  *;un,  that,  it  is  often  made  <xb,  which  is  given  by 
O'Donovan  as  a  subjunctive  mood;  as  cixe]b]rt)  5uri  <x.b  e  <\c& 
ci nt),  I  believe  that  it  is  he  (who)  is  sick:  me<iruim  fc>&  nem 
r]n,  3uri  <vb  b&  bli<x,^Air)  <\5ur  ?]ce  rul  riu,5<vb  ?lbri<ih<vm 
c&T)ic  P-Ajtcolon  1  T)-'GiTi1T)0,  "  I  think,  according  to  that,  that 
it  is  two  years  and  twenty  before  Abraham  was  born,  that  Par- 
tholon  came  to  Erin." 

6.  Very  often  5un  <\b  is  shortened  by  omitting  the  <v;  as  cne-|b- 
im  3Uft  'be,  &c. ;  and  sometimes  the  b  is  joined  to  jurt,  as 
cpe|bim  suiib  e,  &c. 

7.  After  rn*v,  if,  the-!  is  omitted,  as  m&Y  plori  e,  if  it  be  true; 
and  in  this  case  the  r  is  often  joined  to  the  m&;  as  m'&r  'pfon  e ; 
m'&r  tt)aic  le<vc  <v  be^c  bu&u,  c<x]t  puan  <v5ur  ce^c,  "If  you 
wish  to  be  long-lived,  drink  cold  and  hot"  (or  "drink  cold  and 
flee" — a  celebrated  Irish  saying  of  double  meaning). 


OHAP.   T.]  THB    VEKB.  61 

8.  Sometimes  b<x  or  b<v  is  shortened  to  b  or  b  alone,  which, 
again  is  often  joined  to  the  preceding  word;  as  laoc  b'up;  b^urt) 
Lift,  or  l^oc  &<\p.b  A-|nn)  lift,  "  a  hero  whose  name  was  Lir ;"  of 
which  the  lull  construction  is,  laoc  bo  <x  |*o  b<x  <vinn)  l^n-,  "a 
hero  to  whom  was  name  Lir." 

9.  There  is  another  form,  p*v,  for  the  past  tense,  which  is  cow 
disused,  but  which  is  constantly  used  by  Keating,  and  by  other 
writers  of  the  17th  and  18th  centuries:  ?'<%.  cfxe<xnpe<\ri,  <xn 
Ce<vc  to,  "  this  Ceat  was  a  mighty  man',"  ir  f  (U<vnb<j.)  p*v  be  at) 
bo  2D<vc  Coill,  b'^rv  b'witm)  bf Ifor  6<vcufi,  "  it  is  she  (Banba) 
who  was  wife  to  Mac  Coll,  whose  proper  name  was  Eathur ;"  or  e 
<vn  Scoicbe&nA<x  V'o>  ce<vr)5<v  coicce<von  tat)  Sqci<v  ad  cnvAc  bo 
cni<xll  hleprneAb  Airbe,  "Since  it  is  the  Scotic  language  which 
was  the  common  tongue  in  Scythia  in  the  time  that  Neimheadh 
emigrated  irom  it."t 

10.  For  the  distinction  between  ca  and  ]r,  see  Idioma. 


(3.)  t>r)eiTV|Tt),  I  give. 
ACTIVE     VOICE, 

Imperative  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  I.  c<vbn<vtt)oiOif. 

2.  CAbAiti.  2.  c<s.brx<vib. 

3.  c<xbp.<vb  r6.  3.  c<s.bp.<vb<ioir. 

Indicative  Mood. 


First  person  Singular. 
Present  .-  bemiTT),  CAbfiAprn,  or  cu 3<vi?r». 

Consuet.  Pres :  beitie<\.rjt). 
Past:  cii^Af. 

Consuet,  Past :   beijiityn,  cit^Ainn. 
Future:  beAfi^Ab,  c<vb<x|ir<vb. 

Cmood:NAL  \™wm> e*«*w«w 


"With  the  usual 
terminations  for 
'  the  other  persons 
and  numbers. 


Infinitive;  bo  CAbAific.     Participle;  <V3  CAbA^ic. 


t  For  the  various  forms  assumed  by  this  verb,  in  the  ancient  lan- 
guage, see  O'Donovan's  most  instructive  article  in  his  "  Irish  Gram- 
mar," page  161. 


62  ETYMOLOGY.  [PART    IL 

PASSIVE     VOICE. 
Imperative;  beitice<ifi,  c<vb<vTtc<vjt,  cu5c<vti,  Tt}§,  cu,  e\  &c. 

Indicative   Mood. 


Present:  beiTice<xjt,  cusc-aji. 

Past :  cti5<\6. 

Consuet.  Past.  beifiqbe,  cu5c<xi8e. 

Future:  be<x|ip<v|i,  c<vb-Afif:<vfx. 

0Mood.0NAL    \  Be^iBe,  CAb^^Be. 


•  20e,  cu,  e,  &c. 


Infinitive  ;  bo  be^c  c*b<vjtc<x,  bo  be]c  ctt5C<v. 
Participle  ;  c<vbajic<\.,  ctt5C<x. 

1.  This  verb  is  made  up  of  three  different  verbs:  in  some  of  the 
tenses  any  one  of  the  three  may  be  employed;  in  some,  either  of 
two;  and  in  some  only  one;  as  shown  in  the  paradigm. 

2.  In  the  present  tense,  beifiiTt)  (but  not  the  other  two  verbs,) 
takes  the  particle  bo  (which  is  a  mark  of  the  past  in  regular  verbs), 
and  commonly  has  its  initial  aspirated. 


(4.)  tieuM^),   I  bear, 
ACTIVE     VOICE. 
Imperative  Mood. 
Singular. 


1.  .       .       . 

2.  beiTt. 

8.  beifieab  re\ 


Plural. 

1.  beiTiut)fr. 

2.  beififb. 

3.  beifv|bff. 


Indicative  Mood. 


Present  : 
Consuet.  Present : 
Past : 

Consuet.  Past : 
Future  : 
Conditional  Hood: 


First  Person  Singular. 


beirie<vr)r). 

TiU3<xr- 

beip-inr). 

be<\|ipAb. 

be<qip<v|nT). 


With  the  usual 
terminations  for 
'  the  otber  persons 
and  numbers. 


Infinitive  ;  bo  b^e^c.    Participle  ;  *s  bjieic. 


CHAP.    T.]  THE    VERB.  63 

PA  SSI  V E      V  0  ICE. 

Imperative  Mood;  bqnce<vTi  r\)e,  cu,  e,  &c. 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present :  bem£e<vfi.  ) 

fast:  yiw^b. 

Con-met.  Past:  beipxf.  }>  We,  cu,  e,  &o. 

Future:  beau-foin.  I 

Conditional  Mood:  be<vfip<vibe.  J 

Infinitive;  60  bqc  beifice.     Participle ;  bqjxce. 


(5.)  Cfm,  /see. 

ACTIVE     VOICE, 

Impekattve  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  .     .     .  1.  treiqrofr,  feiqttjfb. 

2.  feic.  2.  peicfb. 

3.  ^eice<xt>  r6.  3.  -peiqbfr. 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present  Tense. 

1.  cfSitT),  cftt),  peiqn).  1.  cfbtrjfb,  cfn)fb,  peiqtijfb. 

2.  cibin,  cf|t,  peiqri.  2.  cfbcf,  cfcf,  jjqccf. 
8.  c^bjb  re,  c]6  re,  peiqb  re.  3.  cfb^b,  cfb,  peiqb. 

Consuel.  Pres. ;  cfbe<vT)n,  ^ eice<vt)T),  ti)e,  cu,  e,  &o. 

Pas*. 

1.  coT)n<vric<vr.  1.  conc<nt)<vTi. 

2.  conri<vric<v|r.  2.  coi)c<v.b<vtt. 

3.  coi)t)a^c  re.  3.  conc<\.b<xn. 

First  Person  Singular. 

Consuet.  Past:          cjb|r)i)  or  c'tfnr).  "i      With  the  usual 

Future:                     cf  b^eab  or  c|pe<vb.  j  terminations     for 

Conditional    [           c'jbpirjr),    or    cJFinr),  or  '  the  other  persona 

Mood:        \                    jieiqnn.  J  and  numbers. 


Infinitive  Mood  ;  b'pqcriT)  or  b'£eiq*ii)C. 
Participle  ;  <V3  pe]crir)  or  013  ^eicr^t)c. 


64 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[PART    II. 


PA  SSI  V E      V  0  I  CE. 

Imperative  Mood;  -\:e-\cte<xji,  tne,  cu,  e,  &c. 
Indicative  Mood. 


Present    Tense . 
Past  : 

Past.  Gonsuet. : 
Future : 
Conditional    f 
Mood :         \ 


cfbceaji  or  peicce<\ji. 

COT)T)<X]XC<v6. 

cfbcf  or  yte]ct\. 

cjbr- e<v|t  or  ^eic-peotfi. 

cjbpjbe  or  peicpibe. 


•  20e,  cu,  e,  &o. 


J 


Infinitive  Mood;  bo  be]i  ye]de.     participle ;  y:e]cte. 

1.  Cj6in)  is  defective  in  some  of  its  moods  and  tenses,  which 
are  supplied  by  other  verbs— the  imperative  and  infinitive  by 
peicin)  or  r.  <v|C|Tn,  and  the  past  indicative  of  both  voices  by  an 
old  verb — otherwise  disused — conn<\.p:c<v|n). 

2.  "Feiqrn  or  -p<vicirn,  although  it  is  brought  in  among  the 
irregular  verbs,  to  supply  the  defects  of  cjb|rt),  is  itself  regular. 

3.  Observe  that  the  initial  of  cjbjm  is  always  aspirated. 


(C.)  Cluing,  I  hear. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Past  Tense. 


1.  cualoir. 

2.  cu<vl<vir. 

8.  cu<\l<v|b  re. 


1.  cu<\.l<vrn<vTi. 

2.  cu<vl<x.b<xft. 

3.  CVKvlOibAft. 


Infinitive  3Iood,  Active;  bo  clor  or  bo  cloirqt). 
Participle,  Active;  ^3  clor  or  -A3  cloirqn. 

1.  In  all  the  other  moods  and  tenses,  cluioim  is  regular,  and  is 
conjugated  like  bu<v|l. 


(7.)  be<vn<v|rn,  1  do. 

ACTIVE     VOICE. 
Imperative  Mood. 


1.  . 


2.  be<vi). 

8.  be<vn<vb  re. 


1.  be<vn<vTT),       be<\n<vn)<voif, 

be<VT)<Mt)AOlb. 

2.  be<vnaib. 

3.  be<vT)Aibfr. 


CHAP.    V.] 


THE  VERB. 


65 


Indicative  Mood. 
Past  Tense. 

1.  ni5T)e<vr,    beurirjoir,     be<v-     1.  jiiJneAnjAn,     be&fir)<XTt)<vji 

n<xr.  be<xr)-&rn<\n. 

2.  T*150ir,     Se&fiT)<\ir,      be<v-     2.  ]ai^T)eoib<\|t,      be&ni)<\ban, 

f)<x]y.  6e*T)<vb<vji. 

3.  TMS^je    Te,    be&nr)<xb    re,     3.  n'5ne<vb<vn,      6e&jxr)Ab<xn, 


6e<M)  re. 

Present : 
Consuet.  Pres. 
Consuet.  Past. 

Future : 
Conditional  } 
Mood :      \ 


be<vT)<\b<vfx. 

First  Person  Singular. 
be<vr)<virr). 

5nibir)o,beATin<vint),  be<xn- 

<vinn. 
be<\r)p<vb. 

be<\r)p<viT)T). 


"With  the  usual 
terminations  for 
the  other  persons 
and  numbers. 


Infinitive  Mood:  bo  be<M)ATb  or  bea.r)a8. 
Participle  ;  ^5  be<u)&Tb,  or  015  be<vn<vb\ 

PASSIVE     VOICE. 

Imperative  Mood;  Deanc^T*-  rne,  cu,  e,  &c 
Indicative  Mood. 


Present : 
Past  : 

Consuet.  Past 
Future  : 
Conditional  ) 
Mood :      \ 


be<xT)c<m.. 
uisneab,  be&fir)<x.b. 

be<ir)p<vTt. 


-  2tte,  cu,  e,  &o. 


be<xt)p<vibe. 
Infinitive  Mood;  bo  beyc  be<vi)c<v.     Participle;    be<vr)coi. 


1.  This  verb  and  the  next  borrow  from  each  other  to  form  some 
of  the  moods  and  tenses  in  which  they  are  defective. 


(8.)  5r)ftn  or  nfrn,  I  do. 
A  C  T  I  V  E      VOICE. 
Indicative  Mood. 
First  Person  Singular. 


Present  : 
Past  : 
Consuet.  Past 


3T)JTT)  Or  1)ftt). 

5nfbe<vr  or  r)ibe<vr. 
3nfbinn  or  r)\&]W- 


With  the  usual 
terminations  for 
the  other  persons 
and  numbers. 


66 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[PAET  II. 


Present : 
Consuet.  Past 


PA  SSI  V  E    V  0  ICE. 
Indicative  Mood. 


1.  This  verb  is  used  in  no  other  moods  or  tenses  ;  but  so  far  as  it 
goes  it  is  very  common  in  both  forms— with  and  without  the  5 
(5njn)  and  i)frn).  The  other  moods  and  tenses  are  expressed  by 
means  of  b6<vn<xiTi). 


Singular. 

1.  .     .     . 

2.  <vb<v|Tt. 

8.  <vbfi<v6  f  6. 


(9.)  Demi"),  I  say. 

ACTIVE     VOICE. 

Imperative  Mood. 

Plural. 

1.  -&bn<vn),  «bfi<\Tr)<\o-\T,  ■abfi<vTi)<voi&. 

2.  -abji<v|6. 

3.  -A.bTi<vbAOir. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 


1.  beiriin). 

2.  beiriin- 

3.  bein-  r£- 


1.  beirt1fT)fb. 

2.  beiTiqb. 

3.  bqfiib. 


Consuet.  Present;  be]]ie<xr)T)  nje,  cix  re,  &o. 
Past. 


1.  bubfi<vr. 

2.  bubfi<v|r. 

3.  bub<xific  re. 

First  person  singular. 

Consuet.  Past:     be]Ti-\f)X). 
Future:  be<v|i^Ab, 


1.  bubtvonrjAjv. 

2.  bubfi<vb<x|i. 

3.  bttbn.<xb<vfi. 


With  the  usual 
terminations  for 
the  other  persons 
and  numbers. 


Infinitive  Mood;  bo  fi&b\     Participle ;  015  ftCvb. 


OHAP.  V.]  THE   VEBB.  67 

PASSIVE      VOICE. 
Imperative  Mood:  <vb<\|xc<xfi  nje,  cu,  e,  &o. 

Indicative  Mood. 

Present :  bemce<vn.  1 

Past :  bubnab. 

Consuet.  Past :  belief,  i  2t)e,  cu,  e,  &c. 

Future :  be-A.fi  p  <vji. 

Conditional  Muod:  be-A.fip<v|be.  J 

Infinitive  Mood;  bo  be^c  ix&ibce,  bo  be^c  ii^ce. 
Participle;  fi&-|bce,  n*v|ce. 

1-  The  verb  <vbu<vin),  I  say,  from  which  bei^rr;  borrows  its 
imperative,  is  itself  a  regular  verb. 

2.  Observe  the  characteristics  of  bubft<vr,  the  past  indicative 
active: — (a)  it  does  not  take  the  participle  bo  or  rio ;  (b)  the 
initial  is  not  asjrirated. 

3.  The  letter  <x  is  often  prefixed  to  this  verb  for  the  sake  of 
emphasis;  as,  <v  bei^n),  for  beifiim,  I  say  ;  -a.  bub<v|7ic  re,  for 
bub<v|px  re,  he  said, 

(10.)  'F<x5<vitt)  or  5eibm),  I  find. 
A  CT  I  V  E     V  0  ICE. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  .    .    .  1.  -p<\3Tr)A0ir,  -p-a-snjAOib. 

2.  f<v5.  2.  f<v3<xib. 

3.  -p^soib  je.  3.  ^<v5<vibff. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 

1.  ^A5oqti)  or  jeibirn.        1.  fA3Tt)<voib,  or  seibnrfb. 

2.  f  <v5Ait|-  or  5eibi|i.         2.  f  a^c-AJb  or  seibcfb. 

3.  -pasajbre,  or  seib  re.  3.  ^A^b  or  5eibib. 

Past. 

1.  puAfKvr.  1-  pu<vn<^TT)An. 

2.  pu<\.n«ir.  2.  pu<\p:<\.bAn. 

3.  pu^n  re.  3.  ^u<vji<\b<vri. 

First  person  singular. 

Consuet.  Past :  p-a^Aini)  or  5eibint).        ")      With       the 

Future:  5e<\b<vb,  5eob<vb.  j  usual  termina- 

Fu.tureneg.&  interrog.:  5e<vb<xb  or  b-juii5e<\b,     itions   for    the 

Conditional  Mood  :        1  &«*«m  S.eob*,^,  or     other   persons 

)  b-f<x3Aint),  b--pui5iT)T).      J  and  numbers. 

Infinitive;  b'  -p^v^Ail.     Participle;  ^5  p^5<vil. 


68 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[PART   II. 


PA  SSI  V  E      V  0  ICE. 

Imperative  mood;  }:<x^i<\]i  tt)6,  cu,  e,  &o. 
Indicative  Mood. 


Present : 
Past  : 

Consuet.  Past. 
Conditional 
Mood : 


20e,  cu.,  e,  &c. 


■pu<vn<v6  or  yr\i\t. 
)  3e<ibc<v|be,  b-futi3qbe. 

{Defective  in  Infinitive  and  Participle.) 

1.  The  second  form  ot  this  verb  (5eib]m)  has  its  initial  aspirated 
in  the  present  and  future  active. 

2.  The  past  tense  (pu<vri<vr,  &c),  may  or  may  not  take  the  par- 
ticle bo  or  jio  ;  but  its  initial  consonant  is  not  aspirated. 


(11.)  Jqrf),  /  eat. 
A  C  T  I  V  E     V  0  ICE. 

First  Person  Singular. 

Future  Indicative  :    iorp <vb.      )    With  the  usual  terminations  for 
Conditional  Mood:    iorp<vit)t).  \  the  other  persons  and  numbers. 

1.  The  past  indicative  is  either  the  regular  form  b'ice<vr,  &c, 
or  the  irregular  bu<xr  (with  the  usual  terminations: — bu<v)r, 
bu<v^b  re,  &c.) 

2.  The  infinitive  is  b'-\ie, 

3.  In  other  respects  this  verb  is  regular. 


(12.)  12131")>  I  reach. 

iMPEKATrvE  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1 1-  ni5")ff. 

2.  rii5.  2.  TMsfb. 

8.  TM5e*b'  re.  3-  nisiMr- 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 

i.  ni5tt)f&. 


1.  W3irr)- 

2.  M51TI. 
8.  TM5  re 


Past. 


1.  n^3*r- 

2.  ri^n5<vir. 

8.  fv'<xii)i5  re,  n^f)^15  re. 


2.  m3cf. 

3.  ni5i^- 

1.  ri*u)3<ut)<x.Ti. 

2.  Ti^.r>5<vb<xTi. 

3.  ri*vi)5Abaft. 


CHAP.   T.]  THE    TEBB.  69 

First  Person  Singular. 

Consuei.  Past :  V-15WV-         )      Witn  tne  u8ual  termi- 

Future  :  |H5pe<\b.      >  nations  for  the  other  per- 

Conditional  Mood:  TMSFI1)1)-       )  sons  ana  numbers. 

Infinitive ;  bo  ni<vcc<v|n,  or  bo  fiocc^T). 

1.  The  past,  future,  and  conditional,  are  sometimes  expressed 
by  a  different  verb,  as  follows  : — but  this  form  (which  is  tbe  same 
form  as  the  infinitive),  is  not  often  met  with  in  the  modern  lan- 
guage. 

First  Person  Singular. 
Past :  rq<vcc<vr  )      With  the  usual  termi- 

Future  :  iqaccp-Ab.        V  nations  for  the  other  per- 

Condilional  Mood :         rii<xccp<vin-r).    J  sods  and  numbers. 


(13.)  CeiSirn,  I  go. 

Imperative  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1 1.  ceibmff. 

2.  ce]6.  2.  ceibib. 

8.  ceibe<vb  re.  3.  ceibbfr. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 

1.  ce]6-\xt).  1.  ceibrr)fb. 

2.  ceibui.  2.  ceibcjb,  or  ce]t]6. 

3.  ce^b  re.  3.  ceibib. 

Past  Tense. 

1.  cuoibAr.  1.  cu<xbtT)<xri. 

2.  cimbAif.  2.  cit<vbb<xTi. 

3.  cu<v|b  re.  3.  cu<vbb<vp.. 

There  is  another  form  of  the  past  tense  of  this  verb  used  after 
the  particles  50,ri)f,  &c,  which  O'Donovan  classes  as  a  subjunctive 
mood.  Tlie  negative  nf,  which  aspirates,  is  here  prefixed :  after 
50,  the  initial  would  be  eclipsed. 

1.  nt  be<vc<vr.  1.  r)f  be<xc<vTT)<vTi. 

2.  nf  be<xc<v|r.  2.  n|  be<\.c<vbAri. 

3.  nt  be<xc<v|b  re.  8.  nf  be<xc<vba.|i. 


First  Person  Singular. 


Consuet.  Past:  ce]6-\t)t). 
Future:  rnvcpAb,  or  riac-Ab. 

Conditional    )  „  ,  ;„  +  .*-.    ^„  «  „  A...,,., 
Mood:        \ n     v  *11)1}'   orTi«c<vini). 


With  the  usual  termina- 
tions for  the  other  per- 
sons and  numbeis. 


Infinitive;  bo  bul.     Participle;  <X5  bttl. 


70 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[pabt  n. 


(14.)  ci3irt),  I  come. 
Imperative  Mood. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.  .    .    .  1.  chimin  or  q5e<nt). 

2.  c<vTx,  or  C15.  2.  q,5i6. 

3.  ci5e<v8  re.  3.  qsibfr. 

Indicative  Mood. 
Present  Tense. 

1.  C13111).  1.  qsimfb. 

2.  qsiri.  2.  cisfb,  q3cfb. 
8.  qsre.  3.  q5]b. 

Past  Tense. 


1.  c&T)3<vr. 

2.  c^vt)5<vi  r. 
8.  clinic  re. 


1.  C&T)3<*.Tr)A|l. 

2.  c&r)5<vb<vtu 

3.  c^vn3<xbA|i. 


First  Person  Singular. 

Consuet.  Past: 
Future: 
Conditional  Mood  : 


Infinitive  ; 


H31W- 

qocp-ab. 

i]oc]:<\]r)T). 

bo  ce<vcn. 


fWith  the  usual  termi- 
nations for  the  other 
persons  and  numbers. 

Participle  ;  <V3  ceacc. 


OTHEE  DEFECTIVE   VEEBS. 

1.  The  following  defective  verbs  are  often  met  with  in  the 
modern  language  : 

&1fi,  or  <vfi,  "  says."  Tt  is  used  only  ia  the  third  person,  much 
like  the  English  detective  verb  quoth;  as  <vip.  re,  says  he:  cfieub 
bo  beu.T)-p<viTt  b<vm?  <\|t  Oi<\.rtrnAib:  "'  What  wilt  thou  do  for 
me?'  says  Diarmaid ;"  "be<\n  eolar  buin  ttjaji  <v.  b-fu^l  re,  <xji 
n-ab,  "'give  knowledge  to  us  where  he  is,'  said  they  (or  say 
they)."     In  the  older  writings  this  verb  is  often  written  ol. 

&c  b<\c,  he  (or  she)  died. 

0<vn,  it  seems,  it  seemed,  or  it  might  seem  (according  to  the 
tense  or  mood  of  the  verb  with  which  it  is  connected).  Dan; 
liorn,  methinks  or  methought ;  b<v|i  le<xc,  it  seems  or  seemed  to 
thee ;  and  so  on  with  the  rest  of  these  prepositional  pronouns 
singular  and  plural :  Do  nic  re,  baft  ^ort),  TT)<xfi  <vn  5<;oiq  he 
ran,  methought  (or  it  seemed  to  me),  like  the  wind. 

Oli5ce<vn,  it  is  lawful,  it  is  allowed. 

Our,  to  know  ;  c-cviqc  re  buf  <vn  v-^h  n<vb  <\nt),  he  came  (in 
order)  to  know  whether  they  were  there. 

Te&bAU,  I  know;  used  only  negatively  and  interrogatively, 
and  in  the  present  tense:  i)f  fe<vb<vji  rne,  1  do  not  know;  n| 
£e<vb<vTi  Te,  he  does  not  know;  <vi)  b-f  e<xb|i<vbAjx  ?  do  ye 
know? 


OHAP.    VI.] 


ADVERBS. 


71 


Nf  pulSvin,  it  is  necessary  (or  "  must,"  used  impersonally);  t)f 
FuI&itv  ^*Tn  <v  beic  <v.)n  riub<xl,  ''it  is  necessary  for  me  to  be 
(or  I  must  be)  walking  (away)." 

CHAPTER    VI. 
ADVERBS,  PREPOSITIONS,  CONJUNCTIONS,  INTERJECTIONS. 

I.  ADVEKBS. 

1.  There  are  not  many  simple  adverbs  in  the  Irish  language. 
Far  the  greatest  number  of  the  Irish  adverbs  are  compounded  of 
two  or  more  words. 

2.  An  adverb  may  be  formed  from  an  adjective  by  prefixing 
the  particle  50,  which  in  this  application  has  the  same  effect  as 
the  English  postfix  ly  ;  as  bonb,  fierce;  50  bonb,  fiercely.  Al- 
most all  Irish  adjectives  admit  of  being  changed  in  this  manner 
to  adverbs. 

3.  Besides  the  adverbs  formed  in  this  way,  there  are  many 
compound  adverbs,  which  are  generally  made  up  of  a  noun  and  a 
preposition ;  the  preposition  often  causing  an  eclipsis. 

4.  The  following  is  an  alphabetical  list  of  the  compound  ad- 
verbs in  most  general  use,  -with  a  few  of  the  simple  adverbs. 
Some  of  the  compound  adverbs  become,  in  some  situations,  pre- 
positions:— 


far  off,  in  space  or 
this  side.  (See 
at  first,  in   the  be- 


ft  b-f<\b 
time. 

ft  bur,    on 
c<xll.) 

ft  6 -cor ac, 
ginning. 

ft  b-cu<vi6,  northwards. 

ft  5-ce<vb6j|i,  immediately. 

ft  5-cein,  far  off. 

ft  5-coThnuibe,  always. 

ft.5  fin,  there. 

ft.5  ro,  here. 

&5  tub,  yonder. 

ft-|U  <vir,  back,  backward.  (See 
«1T*  ei5in) 

ftin  ball,  on  the  spot,  instantly. 

ftin  bjc,  at  all. 

ft-|n  bun,  on  foundation:  cun 
■a-|fv  bun,  to  found, to  institute. 

&1Ji  ce<\T)<v,  in  like  manner;  in 
general. 

ftin  coibce,  for  ever. 

&1Tt  6'51i)i  with  difficulty;  per- 
force:— <vin  <qr  no  <xm  §1511), 
by  consent  or  by  force:  nolens 
volens  ;  willy  nilly. 


SV-lfx  5-cul,  backwards,  back: 
cuji  <v|n  5-cul — the  opposite 
to  cur  oifa  bun — to  put 
back,  to  abolish. 

ftin  leic,  apart,  separately. 

ftin  rnob,  in  a  manner;  so  that. 

ft-|n  rot),  for  the  sake  of. 

ftm  u<vin-|b,  at  times;  some- 
times. 

ftrn<vc,  out  of,  outside. 

&tt)&in,  alone,  only. 

ftmC\n<vc,  to-morrow. 

ftttjtt.15,  outside. 

ftrnuil,  like,  as. 

ftt)  &inbe,  on  high. 

ftne,  yesterday. 

ftnfor,  lrom  below,  upwards. 

ftnrj  epope<\cc,  together. 

ftnn  riT),  there. 

ftt)i)  ro,  here. 

ftnn  Tu^j  yonder. 

ft  nbear,  southward. 

ftnaice,  near. 

ftnodl,  on  this  side;  hither. 

ft  ^S^T1)  near. 

ftt^u,  to-day. 


72 


ETYMOLOGY. 


[past  n. 


&1KMT*,  now. 

&t)onn,  to  that  side;  thither. 

2W)  coin,  when. 

2lnu<x.r,  from  above,  down- 
wards. 

&fieifi,  last  night. 

&fi1<vri),  ever. 

an-jr,  again. 

Slrceoic,  iD,  into. 

?lrci5,  iQ>  inside. 

be<\5  t)<vc,  little  hut;  almost. 

C&  l)-cir,  cab  <vr,  co»r)<vr,  from 
what?  wheuce? 

C*v  lijeib,  how  many .?  how 
much? 

C&ic,  c&  rj-&ic,  c]<x'<x]c,  what 
place  ? 

De  b|ii5,  because. 

Do  f  fon,  always. 

6a6ot),  that  is,  i.  e.  ;  id  est. 

"F&,  gives  an  adverbial  meaning 
to  some  words : 

Ta  ce<xb6]Ti,  immediately. 

Vis.  beoi5,  a^  -as** 

f<\  66,  twice. 

"Fa  fe<xc,  by  turns;  respectively. 


"F&  cfif,  thrice. 

5o  bri&c,  for  ever  (lit.  to  [the] 
judgment). 

5o  be]tt)]t),  verily;  truly;  in- 
deed. 

5o  b-cf,  unto. 

5o  ^6]i,  yet;  awhile. 

5o  b-ioml&n,  altogether. 

5o  leiti,  entirely. 

5o  leofi,  enough. 

Jornonivo,  however,  moreover, 
indeed. 

2D<v|lle  fie,  together  with. 

2D<v|t  <\.n  5-ce-Abnoi,  likewise  ; 
in  like  manner. 

2t)<Mi  oton  le,  together  with. 

Klo  50,  until. 

0  fo]V  "*le>  from  that  time  out. 

Or  cpnt),  above. 

Sfor,  downwards. 

Soift,  eastwards. 

Su<vr,  upwards. 

Chall,  on  the  other  side;  be- 
yond.    (See  <xbur). 

C<vtt)<xU,  awhile. 

Cu^le  ejle,  besides;  moreover. 


! 


n.     PKEPOSITIOMS. 


1.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  simple  prepositions:— 


&  or  1,  as  01  Tn-b<v|le,  in  a  town. 

&,  out  of,  or  from  (unusual) ;  as 
•4.  20u.Tt)<*iT),  out  of  Munster. 

&5  or  -&.15,  at,  with. 

?ll|i,  -AT1)  upon. 

Sinn,  in.  This  takes  r  before 
the  article.    (See  page  21.) 

&r,  out  of. 

Ci)um,  to  or  towards,  for  the 
purpose  of. 

O-&T1,  used  in  swearing,  equiva- 
lent to  by  :  b<vti  tt)°  b|i1<v- 
cotii,  "  by  my  word." 

Oo,  to. 

6<xb&|i,  the  same  as  ibiji. 

T^a  or  ^-cvo^,  under. 

5<vi),  without. 


5o,  towards,  along  with.  It 
takes  r  before  the  article  <vt)  ; 
as  stir  <xt)  b-q5,  to  ^e 
house. 

J,  the  same  as<v. 

J  <xti,  after.  It  takes  r  before  the 
article  (oit))  and  becomes  l<v|tf . 

Jbffi,  between. 

J  m,  the  same  as  urn. 

le  or  Tie,  with.  It  takes  r  be- 
fore the  article  (an),  and  then 
becomes  le-|r  or  ji]r. 

2t)a.n.,  like,  as. 

0,  Irom. 

Or,  over,  above. 

12e,  fii<v,  before.  It  takes  ?  be- 
fore the  article  (otn). 


OHAP.  VI.]  PBEP08ITI0N8.  73 

SeAC,  beyond,  besides.  Cfie,  through.  It  takes  r  before 

the  article,  and  then  becomes 
C-&ri,  over,   across.     It  takes  r        cner. 

before  the   article   (at)),  and    Ctifb,  the  same  as  cjie. 

then  becomes  c<x|xr.  Utl)  or  rnj,  about. 

2.  Some  of  the  simple  prepositions  are  amalgamated  with  the 
personal  and  possessive  pronouns. 

3.  Besides  the  simple  prepositions,  there  are  in  Irish  a  number 
ot  compound  prepositions.  Each  of  these  consists  of  a  simple  pre- 
position followed  by  a  noun;  and  in  many  of  them  the  initial  of 
the  noun  is  eclipsed  by  the  influence  of  the  simple  preposition. 
In  some  cases  the  preposition  has  dropped  out  and  only  the  noun 
remains. 

4.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  usual  compound  preposi- 
tions, with  their  meanings  : — 

21  b-r;Abr)Aire,  in  presence  of. 

21  b-focAift,  with,  along  with. 

21  b-CAO^jj,  in  regard  to,  concerning. 

Zi  6-c|mce<\U:  see  cirnce<vll. 

21  5-ce<\T)n,  at  the  head  of,  at  the  end  of,  with  regard  to. 

21  5-coinne,  against,  for  (in  the  phrase  to  go  for):  TilHb"*  a 
3-coii)ne  -a  ce^le,  "they  run  against  each  other:"  bo  cuA^b 
re  a.  5-comt)e  a  <vc<x]x,  he  went  for  his  father. 

21  5-coif,  by  the  side  of,  hard  by,  along.  This  is  often  contracted 
to  co-|T:  coir  V*  t>7xJ5be,  "  beside  the  (river)  Bride." 

21  r)-o.icle,  after:  "a.  h-<vicle  r)A.  l<voibe  rin,    "after  that  lay." 

2Vme<vr3,  amongst:  rfor  <xTne<xf5  T)a  5-coiUceAb,  "down 
amongst  the  woods." 

&  l&c <x-\  n,  in  presence   of. 

&1|t  -a,5<Mb,  forward,  over  against,  opposite  :  bill  Ayrt  AgAib,  *° 
go  forward,  to  progress:  A/|fi  -a^a^  r)A  5<xoice,  opposite  (ex- 
posed to)  the  wind. 

&1TI  be<vl<vib,  in  front  of,  opposite:  bo  luisbfr  bo  3nAC,  <v 
r)-iombAib*  <xn  be<vl-A^b,  a.  n-ACAn,  "they  used  to  lie,  cus- 
tomarily, in  beds  opposite  their  father"  (Children  of  Lir). 

&-|n  bur),  on  foundation. 

&]\i  ce<xnn,  for  (in  the  phrase  to  go  for);  as -a  bub<v|ric  W-Aire 
le  h-&nbAT)  bul  Ain  ceAnn  "Fensurr,  "  Naisi  said  to  Ardan 
to  go  for  Fergus. 

2V|n  -pcAb,  through,  throughout,  during:  A-jri  -petxti  blf-AbnA, 
"during  a  year." 

2lin  -pub,  throughout,  amongst:  <vifi  -pub  t)<v  b-cor)r),  amongst  the 
waves. 

2liri  3-cul,  behind. 

2lin  rot),  for  the  sake  of. 

21  n-b]Aib,  after:  <v  rj-bjA^b  a  ce^le,  after  one  another,  one  after 
another. 

Coir,  contracted  from  a  3-corr- 


74  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET  a 

OM<v,  as  to:  b&U  t3Uvrj<vibe,  "as  to  Blanaid." 
D'eir,  after:  b'e^r  r)<\.  0\i]X)i)e,  "after  the  Deluge." 
O^onnr^lSl6"  or     ^Vnnr^ise,     towards:     5luaife^r     \i6]riye 
b'ioi)nr*i5e  *  l^T)5e,  "ne  goes  forward  towards  his  ship." 
Docutt),  towards. 
To  Tieiii,  according  to. 
5o  T)ui5e,  unto,  until. 
5o  b-cf,  to,  unto,  as  far  as:  ri«.b<vil  30  b-cf  <M)  bo|%ttf,  walk  to 

the  door. 
Jon)CurA,  as  to:  pmcura  V\)}r)r)  "as to  Finn." 
F(x  cu<xifxirr),  towards. 

l<xirt)  le  or  l&irn  Tie,  near,  by,  beside:  ruib  l^n)  I^ott),  sit  near 

me;  Uiti)  Tie  tie<u)n<vib  DoiTice,  "beside  Beanna  Boirche." 

Or  ciooT),   over,   above:   5Tioibui5   0]<v.  or  ciotji)  5<vc  uile  qb, 

"love  God  above  all  tilings";  tio   eiril5  or  cionn  <xt)  5-o.ojc, 

"  he  rose  over  the  spear." 

)  5-c1or>T),  the  same  as -a.  5- ce<u)i):  1  3-qoi)r)r)A  bli<\.br)A,  "at  the 

end  of  the  year." 
C-cvti  ce<vT)r),  besides,  for  the  sake  of,  beyond,  in  preference  to. 
C<vTi  &ir,  backwards;  same  as  <v|ri  <MT*- 
C<s.]\   eir,   after;   the   same  as  beir:  c<v|i  err  rj<x  Sattjtja,  "  after 

the  Sainnain  (1st  of  November)" 
C-[TT)ce<vll,  about,  around:  ce<xcc,    qmce-all    Oqar1^*^*,    "to 

go  around  Dermat " 
Or  cori}<vTri,  in  presence  of,  before  the  face  of:  or  cott)<viti  "FblOt)) 
''in  presence  of  Finn." 

in.  CONJUNCTIONS. 

1.  There  are  few  simple  conjunctions  in  the  Irish  language. 

2.  There  are,  however,  many  compound  conjunctions,  much 
like  the  English  conjunctional  phrases,  "  for  the  reason  that,"  "to 
the  end  that,"  &c. 

3.  Generally  speaking,  the  meanings  of  the  compound  conjunc- 
tions may  be  easily  gathered  from  the  signification  of  the  words 
that  compose  them ;  but  there  are  a  few  whose  meanings  are  not 
so  plain. 

4.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  simple  conjunctions,  with  their 
meanings,  together  with  those  of  the  compound  conjunctions 
whose  meanings  are  not  quite  obvious: — 

?Vcc,  but,  except.  &u.,     the     same    as    the    last, 

&cc  ce<xr)a,  but  however.  only     used     with     the     past 

&5ur,  and;  often  contracted  to  tense. 

<v'r,  <*r>  and  y.  Dfob,  although:  it  is  really  the 

&1Ti  <vt)  -a.bb-A.Ti  rio,  wherefore.  third   singular  imperative   of 

&n,  an   interrogative    particle:  the  verb  c&im. 

•at)  b-puil  rf  rl*vt)?     Is   she  Cfb:  see  51'b. 

well?  Con),  as. 


CHAPS.    VI.    VII.] 


CONJUNCTIONS. 


75 


D(\,  if:  sometimes  written  b'<\ 
mo. 

Oo  bn.15,  because. 

Oo  can)  50.  in  order  that. 

for,  yet,  moreover. 

5]6,  or  5i6e<v6,  although. 

5o,  that. 

5un,  that;  formed  of  the  pre- 
ceding and  no.  (See  page  58.) 

jorj'a  -|r)5v :  see  i)&. 

} ot) our  50,  in  order  that,  so 
that. 

20fc,  if. 

20 a  z'<\  30,  although  that. 

20<xn,  as;  see  njunw. 


2thtr)a,  if  not,  unless;  often 
written  rt)un,  and  even  (cor- 
ruptly) man. 

2t)&ire<\6,  if  so,  well  then. 

2U<xn  TIT),  tr><vTv  ro,  in  that 
manner,  in  this  manner:  thus. 

N&,  than:  see  ion&, 

Ntv,  nor,  not. 

No,  or;  olten  pronounced  i)U  in 
Munster. 

0,  since,  seeing  that,  because. 

0  c<xnl<v,  since,  whereas. 

Oin,  because. 

Sul,  before. 

Uime  j]T),  theiefore,  wherefore. 


IV.  INTEBJECTIONS. 

1.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  common  interjections. 
Besides  these  there  are  many  interjectional  expressions  somewhat 
like  the  English,  "O  shame!''  "  Alack!  and  well-a-day!"  but  it  is 
not  necessary  to  enumerate  them : — 

20<vm5,  woe! 


&,  the  sign  cf  the  vocative  case, 
usually  translated  "O." 

?^-r  cnit<x5,  alas !  what  a  pity ! 

6] re,  hush  !  list! 

"F<xn<von,  ^<\n<voin,  alas! 

■pari-a.01ri.5eun,  alas!  O  sharp 
sorrow! 

"Feac,  see!  behold  1 


Oh  sad ! 
2t)orj<vine,  Oh  shame! 
yronuan,  alas  !  woe  is  me ! 
2t)ocnu<v5:  see  <vr  cnu<\5. 
Oc,  uc,  alas ! 

Ocon,    or  tteon,   alas !    written 
oc&o  or  ucan  in  old  writings. 


0U2 


alasl 


CHAPTER    VII, 


PREFIXES    AND    AFFIXES. 

1.  There  are  in  Irish,  as  in  other  languages,  prefixes  and  affixes, 
which  modify  the  meanings  ot  words. 

1.    PKEFIXES. 

1.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  prefixes,  with  their 
meanings:  it  will  be  observed  that  many  ot  them  have  a  double 
form,  which  arises  from  conformity  to  the  rule  caol  le  c<vol,  &c. 

2.  Most  ot  the?e  are  inseparable  particles ;  but  a  few  are  also 
employed  independently  as  separate  words  :  — 

SVif  or  eir,  back  or  again,  like  English  re :  as  10c,  payment ; 
<M  noc,  repayment,  restitution;  eW5ei  rising  I  eiTe15e  resurrec- 
tion. 


78  ETYMOLOGY.  [pABT  H 

2lrh,  or  <v.irf),  a  negative  particle,  like  English  un  ;  as  fie^S, 
open,  clear  ;  <iirhrie)S,  difficult,  rough. 

&r>,  an  intensitive  particle:  as  lttAC5*v|TieAC,  joyful;  <vi)- 
lu<vc5fc/|fie<vc,  overjoyed. 

?lp  or  -ait},  a  negative  particle,  like  English  un:  as  critic,  time; 
<vi)cn.&c,  untimely;  rnl^n,  desire;  <\]T)nrf<\r),  evil  desire. 

&c,  a  reiterative,  like  English  re:  as  n&<3,  a  saying;  <icrifc6,  a 
repetition. 

&c  has  sometimes  the  meaning  of  English  dis  in  dismantle:  as 
cun)A,  atorra;  <vccutt)a6,  to  deform,  to  destroy;  rqo5<\.6,  to 
crown  or  elect  a  king;  <\."|cn.io5<\b,  to  dethrone. 

D<vn,  feminine  (from  be<vn,  a  woman);  as  e-a.cl-a.6,  a  messenger; 
b<vp-e<xcl<\c,  or  bain-e<xcl<vc,  a  female  messenger. 

t-|c,  or  b]oc,  lasting,  constant:  as  beo,  living;  bicbeo,  everlast- 
ing. 

Corn,  equal;  English  co  or  con:  as  -qrnre<vri)  time;  corh- 
<x-irnfe<xp<xc,  cotemporary. 

De<\5,  bei5,  good:  as  bl<vr,  taste;  be<i5bl<x.r,  good  or  pleasant 
taste. 

Of,  Sfo,  a  negative,  like  English  dis:  as  ceill-jSe,  wise;  bf- 
ceiUibe,  foolish:  ce<vpp,  a  head;  bjce<xpp<vb,  to  behead. 

Drioc,  bpoic,  bad  or  evil:  as  obcqri,  work;  bn-oc-obotifi  an 
evil  work. 

Do  and  ro  are  opposites,  as  are  also  often  the  letters  b  and  r. 
Do  denotes  difficulty,  or  ill,  or  the  absence  of  some  good  or  posi- 
tive quality:  as  v^icr^u^c  or  rop<MCfe<v.t)AC,  visible;  bo- 
■p<iicre<\.u<\c,  invisible;  boUvr,  tribulation;  Tol&r,  comfort; 
borj-ax,  ill  luck;  ropar,  good  luck;  bo-beupca.,  hard  to  be  done; 
ro-beupcci,  easy  to  be  done;  buba.6,  sad;  rub<xc,  merry. 

t<v,  a  negative,  often  causing  eclipsis:  as  b<MP5e<in,  strong; 
e<\b<x]V)^eo.r),  weak;  cdjp,  just;  e^c6]-\i,  injustice;  cporn, 
heavy;    e<vocporp,  light. 

e<vr,  a  negative",  as  oponx,  honor;  earopoifi,  dishonor;  rl&p, 
healthful;  e<xrl&p>  sick;  ccqn.be<ir,  friendship;  e<xrc<v|rtbe<xr, 
enmity. 

fo,  under;  as  btqne,  a  man;  ^obnp^e,  an  under-man,  a  com- 
mon man,  a  servant. 

V]i]i,  against,  back  contra  :  as  bu-jlle,  a  stroke;  •ppicbu]Ue,  a 
back-stroke;  b<xc,  a  hook  ;  ppiocb\\c,  a  back-hook,  a  harb. 

J  I,  -|ol,  many:  as  iotp<vb,  much;  iliomab,  sundry,  various; 
b<xr,  a  color ;  lolbACAC,  many  colored;  paobari,  an  edge;  10L- 
■pAob<xip,  many-edged  weapons. 

Jn,  -jop,  fit:  as  beupca,  done;  ipbeut)C<v,  fit  to  be  done; 
fi<x]bce,  said  ;  pp]VAi  bee,  fit  to  be  said. 


OSAP.  VH.J  PBEFIXES  AND  AFFIXES.  7* 

l_fct),  fall,  used  as  an  intensitive:  as  Aibbejl,  vast;  Ifct^bbSjl, 
awfully  vast. 

Le<vc,  half:  as  ti<vip,  an  hour;  leacttaip.,  halt  an  hour.  This 
word  is  also  used  to  denote  one  of  a  pair;  tnus  ru]l,  an  eje; 
le-ac-fujl,  (literally  half  an  eye),  one  of  two  eyes.  See  "Idiom? 
No.  13." 

20 f,  mfo,  a  negative :  as  mear,  respect;  rnjrt)e<vr,  disrespect; 
c6x\)<\}\\\e ,  advice  ;  Tpiocotpain-le,  evil  advice. 

TJe<vrb,  neiTt),  a  negative:  as  coppn^ce,  comprehensible; 
pe<vrt)Coprpn5ce,  incomprehensible:  T)pb,  a  thing;  Tjeprnipb, 
nothing. 

l?eurb,  before,  like  English  pre  :  as  p<\-|bce,  said;  jteUTn- 
p<Mbce,  aforesaid. 

12o,  an  intensitive  particle  :  as  mop,  great;  pd-Tbdp,  very 
great. 

S<x ft,  an  intensitive  particle:  as  m<v|c,  good;  p&p-rh-Aic,  very 
good. 

So,  TO],  the  opposite  to  bo,  denotes  apt,  easy,  good:  as  be<vpb- 
ca,  proved;  roibe-Apbca,  easily  proved. 

Up.  or  xipi,  an  intensitive  particle:  as  jre<vl,  lo;  ttip'jre-A.l,  very 
low  humble,  mean,  vile. 

II.    AFFIXES  OR   TERMINATIONS.* 

1.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  affixes  or  terminations, 
with  their  meanings;  but  it  does  not  include  inflectional  termi- 
nations, which  are  all  given  in  connection  with  declensions  and 
conjugations : — 

ZVc,  when  it  is  the  termination  of  an  adjective,  means  full  of, 
abounding  in,  like  the  English  y  and  ous,  with  the  former  of 
which  it  seems  cognate;  as  bp<xi5e<\.n,  the  black-thorn;  bp<\i^- 
e<vr)<vc,  abounding  in  black-thorn;  bppAc-&p,  a  word  ;  bpp*cp<vc, 
wordy,  talkative. 

ZVc,  as  the  termination  of  a  noun,  generally  denotes  a  personal 
agent :  as  cuTp<vcb,  power ;  cutt)<vco<xc,  a  mighty  person ;  Con- 
i)acc<vc,  a  native  of  Oonnanght. 

ZVcc,  an  abstract  termination,  like  the  English  ness  and  ty  (in 
probity):  as  ca.pcap<vc,  charitable;  c<xnc<vt)<xcc,  charity:  mop 
and  rn6n.b<v,  great;  mopbacc,  greatness. 

?^6e,  uibe,  or  -jbe,  a  personal  termination,  denoting  a  doer  ; 
as  cop,  a  foot;  copr^e,  a  walker;  qom&n,  drive;  qom&r)(V|be, 
a  driver. 

&1pe,  or  p^ie,  a  personal  termination,  denoting  an  agent  or 
doer;  as  lop5,  a  track;  lop5<v^pe,  a  tracker;  ce<xl5,  guile; 
ce<vl5<iipe,  a  deceiver. 

&TT)<xp,  has  the  same  meaning  as  the  English  like  and  ly :  as 
pl<vic,  a  prince;  plAice^rbap1.,  princely. 

*  For  a  full  account  of  these  terminations  see  the  author's  "  Origin 
and  History  of  Irish  Names  of  Places."  Second  series,  Chaps.  L 
and  II. 


78  ETYMOLOGY.  [PAET  II. 

?U),  a  diminutive  termination,  but  it  has  now  nearly  lost  its 
diminutive  sense;  as  loc,  a  lake;   loc&n,  a  small  lake. 

?lr  or  e<vr,  and  sometimes  the  letter  r  alone,  a  termination  de- 
noting abstract  quality,  like  <vcc,  as  oioibioo,  delightful;  <\.oib- 
ne<xr,  delightfulness  or  delight;  ce<u)J),  a  head;  ce<xnr;<vr,  head 
ship,  authority. 

rjha.fi  and  bne,  have  a  collective  or  cumulative  sense;  as  bud-le, 
aleat;  buille<x.b<vfi,  foliage;  bcqfi,  an  oak;  b<v|n.bn.e,  a  place  of 
oaks. 

C\)&fi  has  a  collective  sense  like  the  last;  as  be<\nn,  a  peak  or 
gable;  be<M)ncAfi,  abounding  in  peaks  or  gables. 

De,  an  ancient  adjectival  termination,  has  much  the  same 
meaning  as  the  English/"^  and  ly  (in  manly).  In  the  modern  lan- 
guage it  is  varied  to  ttie  forms  b<v,  b<x,and  ca;  as  tnori,  great; 
tt)6h6a,  majestic;  peati,  a  man;  ^eAfiba.,  manly;  rnjle,  a  cham- 
pion; Tnfle<x.6c<i,  champion-like,  knightly. 

G  denotes  abstract  quality,  like  <vcc,;  as  Finn,  fair  or  white; 
Fjnne,  fairness;  bo5,  sott;  bu^e,  softness. 

Jr)  a  diminutive  termination.  This  may  be  said  to  be  the  only 
diminutive  that  still  retains  its  full  force  in  the  living  language; 
and  it  is  much  used  in  Ireland  even  where  Irish  is  not  spoken, 
rjdc-cvfi,  a  road;  boc<vi|ifn,  (bohereen),  a  little  road;  crusk,  a 
pitcher;  cruiskee>>,  a  little  pitcher. 

L<vc,  n<vc,  Ti-A-C)  c<vc,  Cfi<xc,  have  all  the  same  meaning  as  <vc, 
namely,  full  of,  abounding  in:  as  bfiir,  break;  bfi)rle<vc,  a  breach, 
a  complete  defeat;  rt)\xc,  a  pig;  thucIac,  a  piggery;  lu<vc<vifi, 
rushes  ;  lu<xc<xjirj&c,  a  rushy  place;  bo5,  a  bo^  or  soft  place; 
bc-5ri<vc,  a  place  full  of  bogs;  co]U,  a  wood;  co]llceAC,  a  woody 
place.  These  seem  to  be  cognate  with  the  terminations  in  the 
English  words poult-ry,  varie-ly,  &c. 

2t}<vfi  means  abounding  in,  like  the  English  ful  and  ly ;  as  bn.15, 
power;  bn.io5TT)ari>  powerful. 

$5,  a  diminutive  termination;  as  cf<vn;,  black;  cj<\.fio,5,  a  black 
little  animal  (a  clock,  or  chafer);  5<vb<vl,  a  fork;  5<vb<xld5,  a  little 
fork. 

Oin,  or  bo^fi,  or  c6]ji,  denotes  an  agent  or  doer,  the  same  as 
the  English  er  in  reaper  ;  as  buoql,  strike;  bu<\ilce6|fi,  a  thresher ; 
coinne-al,  a  candle;  coinnleoin.,  a  candlestick;  rpe<vl,  a  scytne; 
rpe<vl<vbdifi,  a  mower, 

12e  has  a  collective  signification,  like  b<xfi,  as  beul,  the  mouth  ; 
belfie,  language,  speech. 

Se<vc  is  used  as  a  sort  of  feminine  termination;  as  5<xll,  an 
Englishman;  5<v|Ure<)k.c,  an  Englishwoman;  dinre<vc,  a  female 
fool  (from  an  old  root  on,  whence  the  old  word  6nrr/|C,  a  fool,  the 
equivalent  of  the  modern  <xn)Ab&r)). 

C<vc  and  z}i<\c :  see  l<xc. 


CHAP,   t]  NOUNS.  78 


PART    III. 

SYNTAX. 


CHAPTER  I. 


NOUNS. 


1.  When  two  nouns  come  together,  signifying  different  things, 
the  second  one  is  ia  the  genitive  case;  as  5UC  5<\b<v|ri,  the  voice 
of  a  houod;  1  b-pl<v.icior  'eirte<vnn,  "in  the  sovereignty  ot  Erin;'' 
b&n-ji  n*-  h-mre,  ^ie  t0P  °* tne  is^an<^' 

2.  "When  the  genitive  noun  is  singular  masculine,  its  initial  is 
aspirated  it  the  article  is  used;  as  rn<vc  <vr)  y:]ji,  the  son  ot  the 
man.     (See  pages  21  and  22  tor  this  rule  and  its  exceptions.) 

3.  When  the  article  is  not  used  with  the  governed  noun  in  the 
singular  number,  the  initial  of  the  latter  is  generally  not  aspirated 
(except  in  the  case  mentioned  in  next  Rule) ;  as  Con-All  1 
5-cnoc<vib  tK\ir,  "Oonall  in  the  torms  of  death;"  <x  T)-bol<\r 
bjioi&e  <v'r  peine,  "  in  the  sorrow  of  bondage  and  of  pain." 

4.  When  the  noun  in  the  genitive  is  a  proper  name,  its  initial 
is  generally  aspirated,  even  though  the  article  is  not  used ;  as 
rlioc-5i)AOi6il,  "the  race  of  Gaodbal;  cloibe<vn)  >it)r)<u)<vun<v|n, 
"  the  sword  of  Manannan." 

Exception:— In  this  case,  b  and  c  often  resist  aspiration;  as 
6me,  mseAt)  Oe<xlb<u)ic,  "Eire,  the  daughter  of  Dealbhaoth." 

5.  If  the  governed  nonn  be  in  the  genitive  plural,  its  initial  is 
eclipsed  with  the  article;  and  the  initial  is  generally  aspirated, 
if  the  article  is  not  used;  as  Denser)  n)«.c  r)-Uirne<\.c,  "the 
fortress  of  [die]  sons  ot  Usna;"  bugbear)  cu|t<\6,  "  a  company  ot 
kmghts;"  t>i<vr  bar),  "two  women"  (or  rather  "a  pair  of 
women.'") 

Even  in  the  absence  of  the  article,  however,  an  eclipsis  some- 
times occurs;  as,  r)<voi  T)<vonb<vp.  bo  bf  <x.5  ceo.cc  b'i<\p-TiAib 
cfor<\.  -asur  c«vr)<v  b-pe<vn  n-'ein-ionn,  "  nine  times  nine  persons 
who  were  coming  to  demand  the  taxes  and  tributes  of  the  men  of 
Erin." 

Sometimes  also,  in  the  absence  ot  the  article,  the  noun  in  the 
genitive  plural  isneitt  er  aspirated  nor  eclipsed. 


*  Several  of  the  rules  of  Syntax  have  been  unavoidably  anticipated 
in  Orthography  and  Etymology,  as  they  are  in  v  very  Irish  Grammar. 
These  rules  will  be  referred  to  in  their  proper  places  in  this  Syntax, 
or  repeated  when  thought  necessary. 


80  SYNTAX.  [PART   III. 

6.  When  two  nouns  come  together  signifying  the  same  thing 
(or  in  apposition),  they  generally  agree  in  case;  as,  Nu<v6<x  &pn- 
51obl&Tn  m<vc  e<vcc-Ai5  rnic  eAbAn-lAiri).  "  Nuadha  SilveHiand, 
son  of  Eachtach,  son  of  Eadarlamh;"  t)A  b-cpf  b-FinneAthnA, 
mac  GocA-jb,  "  of  the  three  Finnavnas,  sons  of  Eochad." 

Eere,  in  the  first  example,  WtiAba,  is  nominative,  and  so  is 
m<vc,  which  is  in  apposition  to  it ;  6<vcc<v|5,  is  genitive  and  so  is 
the  next  word,  rnic,  wliich  is  in  apposition  to  it.  In  the  second 
example,  "FinneAibpA  is  in  the  genitive  (plural),  and  ttiac  also,  in 
apposition  to  it,  is  in  the  genitive  (plural). 

For  exceptions  to  this  Rule,  see  "Idioms,"  No.  33,  page  107. 
See  also  next  rule. 

7.  The  last  rule  is  not  always  observed  :  departures  from  it  are 
sometimes  found,  even  in  good  Irish  writings;  as  T;Ainni,be  bit]  be 
opbA  mart  b]6e<v6  Ap.  iit)h£up.e,  be<vn  SheA5Ain  at)  rMs^A- 
bdfiA,  "yellow  gold  rings  as  used-to-be  on  Mary,  wife  of  John  (the 
son  ot)  the  weaver ;"  t<\-\r)-\c  nij  Chi<vn.n.U]be  LitAcrtA  b'pprr 
a  cori)6<vlc<v,  eabon,  C}at)  m<xc  9|Iio11a,  "  the  King  of  Kerry- 
Luachra  came  to  visit  his  foster-son,  that  is,  Oian,  the  son  of 
Oilioll;1'  bo  cp.1  aU  (0pcAp)  a  5-coipne  20heATi5Ai5  n>ip.e,  An 
cpeAn,  leorhAn,  "  Oscar  went  to  meet  the  furious  Meargach,  the 
strong  lion." 

The  first  example  exhibits  a  disagreement  in  case  between 
2t)l)Aifie,  and  beAT),  which  are  in  apposition,  the  former  being 
dative  (after  <vn),  the  latter  nominative  (its  dative  would  be 
rnnAOi,  page  SO).  In  the  second  example  corhbAlCA  is  genitive 
(after  the  infinitive,  Rule  15,  page  90),  and  CpAT),  in  apposition 
to  if,  is  nominative  (its  genitive  would  be  Cepn).  In  the  last 
example  9X)heAfi5Ai5  is  genitive,  and  leorh&n,  in  apposition  to 
it,  is  nominative.  This  last  example,  however,  seems  properly  to 
belong  to  a  class  of  exceptions  to  Rule  7,  which  are  explained 
further  on.     ("  Idioms,"  No.  33,  page  107.) 

8.  A  noun  used  acljectively  in  English  is  commonly  expressed 
in  .Irish  by  a  genitive  case;  as,  English,  "a  gold  ring,"  Irish, 
■pAmne  oip.,  a  ring  of  gold.  This  form  of  expression  is  very 
common  in  Irish;  as  ^eAp  bl^e,  a  lawyer;  literally  "a  man  of 
law." 

9.  Collective  nouns  are  singular  in  form,  anda9  such  they  take 
the  singular  lorm  of  the  article  (when  the  article  is  used);  but 
they  are  plural  in  signification,  and  as  such  they  generally  take 
adjectives  and  pronouns  in  the  plural  number,  and  also  verbs  in 
the  plural,  when,  in  accordance  with  Par.  9,  page  45,  the  plural 
form  of  the  verb  is  used;  as,  noccuib  at)  fuiipeApt)  rjn,  "that 
company  disclose;"  CAT)5AbAp  at)  bu^beAT)  cupab  y\i)  bo 
lACA^n.  Tbi^n,  A5ur  bo  beAnnuis  T/lAb  bo,  "  that  comp  my  of 
knights  came  to  the  presence  of  Finn,  and  they  saluted  hiin." 

The  personal  nouns  from  b] at;  to  bepcneAbATi,   mentioned  at 


CHAP.   II.]  NOUNS.  81 

page  37,  follow  this  rule;  as,  bo  b<ib<vji  <vt)  bi<vr  ni)  30  h-itt)fi  ear- 
ned, "  that  pair  were  at  striie." 

10.  Nouns  denoting  a  part  commonly  take  be  with  the  dative 
of  the  nouns  (or  pronouns)  ol  which  they  form  a  part;  &s,  5<\b<vti 
b'&ft  T)5<\b<\7i<vib,  "a  hound  of  our  hounds  ;"  <vot)  c<\07t  b|ob, 
"one  berry  of  them;"  5<\c  btr|ne  be'n  pobul,  "  each  person  or 
the  people." 

11.  The  personal  nouns,  from  bi<vr  to  beiCT)e<vbafi  inclusive, 
and  also  cedn.<v,  three,  generally  govern  nouns  in  the  genitive 
plural;  as,  b-|<vr  b<xr),  "two  (of)  women;"  <v  Cfxiuji  rn<vc  <*5ur  <v 
b-cn^  1171  b<\n,  "his  three  sons  and  f'eir  three  wives;"  tedn,<v 
b<vn,  "three  women;  -naonbafi  c<xoire<xc,  "nine  chieftains." 

But  they  sometimes  take  be  with  the  dative,  as  in  the  last  rule ; 
as  n-ao^  n<\or)b<xfi  bo  rb<xon.<xib  r)<v  b-"F6rhop<vc,  "  nine  times 
nine  of  the  stewards  of  the  Fomorians:"  mo  bjp  TO-&C,  mo  bjr 
b'f:e<\.ft<\]b,  "my  two  sons,  my  two  men." 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  ARTICLE  AND  NOUN. 

1.  The  article  agrees  with  its  noun  in  number,  gender,  and  case; 
as,  -an  ^e<vfi,  the  man;  T)<\  cj n;ce,  of  the  hen;  no.  b<x,  the  cows. 

2.  For   the  influence  of  the   arti^e  on  the   noun,  see  page  22. 

3.  When  one  noun  governs  another  in  the  genitive  case,  the  ar- 
ticle can  be  used  only  with  the  latter.  Thus,  in  English  we  can  say 
"the  age  of  the  world"  (using  the  definite  article  with  each  nouu); 
but  in    Irish,   the   corresponding   expression  is,  <vo]r  <vn  both^n, 

not,   "  <\T)  "     <XO]T  -AT)    bOTT)<V1T). 

Exception: — When  a  demonstrative  pronoun  follows  the  gov- 
erning noun,  or  when  the  two  nouns  come  together  as  a  compound 
won!,  the  governing  noun  may  take  the  article;  as,  <vt)  c-o^be 
muince,  tlie  teacher;  mft.  bo  beiri  cu  <xn  oin.e<xb  -p]n  bu-|n  'r-a-T) 
16  ro  no.  n-bedfi,  "if  thou  givest  so  much  to  us  in  this  day  ot 
tears."  Here  the  article  is  used  before  both  Id  and  bedfi.  C<xn- 
3<vbAji  <vMr  1  T)-'6i|tinn  <xr)  rlpcc  ro  Shimeon  bhtMC,  "these 
descendants  of  Simon  Brec  came  again  into  Erin:"  here  the  article 
is  used  betore  rliocc,  the  governing  noun. 

4.  When  a  possessive  pronoun  is  used  with  the  genitive  noun, 
the  article  cannot  be  used  with  either;  thus,  "the  house  of  my 
father"  is  ce<vc  tn'  -a.c-a.ji,  not  "  <vt) "  ce<xc  rn'  ac<x|x. 

The  peculiarity  noticed  in  the  last  two  rules  exists  also  in  Eng- 
lish when  the  possessive  case  is  used,  i.e.,  the  article  can  be  used 
only  with  the  possessive  noun;  a9,  the  world's  age;  my  father's 
house. 


82  SYNTAX.  [PART  IU. 

5.  When  a  demonstrative  pronoun  is  used  with  a  noun,  the  ar- 
ticle is  also  used;  as,  <xt)  pe<vp  y\r),  that  man;  literally,  "  the  man 
that-/'  t)<v  tnnvv  ub,  yonder  women;  literally,  "the  women 
yonder." 

6.  The  article  is  used  before  the  names  of  some  countries  and 
cities,  where  tlie  de6nite  article  would  not  be  used  in  English;  as 
VOoeoAT),  ?^bb  C-acn-<xc  Pupra.  inn  Fpainc,  beu5,  "  Moenan, 
Abbot  of  Calier  Fursa,  in  (the)  France,  died;"  Cpu<vca  n<x 
\)-'Q]\ie<\T)T),  "the  stacks  of  (the)  Erin;"  cu<vp*ceoipc  n<v  h-'&n*) 
"  ttie  north  of  (the)  Asia."  There  is  in  Irish  also  a  form  of  phrase 
corresponding  to  the  English  "the  mighty  Hector;"  as,  <vt) 
c-0rc&ji  &5,  "the  noble  Oscar." 

7.  When  an  adjective  is  predicated  of  a  noun  by  the  verb  p*  (in 
any  of  its  forms),  the  article  is  used  with  the  noun  (but  in  the  cor- 
responding expression  in  English  the  definite  article  would  not  be 
used);  as,  ir  Tn<v]c  -ai)  peotp  e,  he  is  a  good  man:  literally  "he  is 
the  good  man." 

8.  The  Irish  article  is  used  before  abstract  nouns  much  more 
commonly  than  the  English  definite  article;  as,  <vn  c-ocpur,  "the 
hunger;"  cpj  t)-\6  bo  cjm: — <vn  pe<vc<\.b,  <xt)  b&r,  <v'r  <u)  pf<xn, 
"three  things  I  see-  the  sin,  the  death,  and  the  pain." 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  ADJECTIVE  AND  NOUN. 

1.  Adjectives  denoting  fullness  or  a  part  of  anything  may  take 
either  the  dative  after  be  or  the  genitive;  as  (dative  after  be) : — 
1bpt  b&  b<vTi<vile  l&r)  bo  leant),  "between  two  barrels  full  of 
ale;"  c&  me  lfcp  bo  n&1pe,  "I  am  full  of  shame;"  mdri&T) 
b'ttairlib,  "  many  of  nobles;"  (genitive): — l*vn  <v  buipn,  "the 
full  of  his  fist ;"  <\p  p<*ib  mdp&n  <vip,5ib  <v|,5e,  "had  he  much  of 
money?"  cp<vob  bp<\oi3m  <*3ur  <v  l'<u)  &ipne<xb  uippe,  "a 
branch  of  blackthorn  and  its  full  of  sloes  on  it." 

2.  The  adjective  in  the  comparative  degree  takes  t)'<\  (or  -\r)'<\,  or 
■|on*v,)  before  the  noun  which  follows  it;  as,  ir  b]nne  <v  cedl  t><\ 
Ion  'rnk  rmdl,  "  sweeter  is  her  voice  (music)  than  the  blackbird 
and  than  the  thrush." 

Exception : — If  the  adjective  in  the  comparative  degree  has  be 
("  of  it")  after  it,  then  n&  is  not  used ;  as,  no.c  bit  peippbe  bd]b  e, 
"  that  they  would  be  none  the  better  of  it." 

AGREEMENT  AND  COLLOCATION  OF  THE  ADJECTIVE  AND  NOUN. 

First  Case — When  the  adjective  is  joined  immediately  with 
the  noun : 

When  the  adjective  is  joined  immediately  with  the  noun  as  a 


OHAP.  III.]  THE    ADJECTIVE    AND   NOUN.  83 

qualifying  or  limiting  terra   (as  in  the  English    "  a  high  tower,") 
in  this  case  the  following  ten  rules  apply: — 

1.  The  natural  position  of  the  adjective  is  after  its  noun;  as, 
c<vbU\c  mop,  "  a  great  fleet." 

The  chief  exceptions  to  this  are  stated  in  the  next  two  rules. 

2.  Monosyllabic  adjectives  are  often  placed  before  their  nouns; 
as,  c<\ol-pe<\p,  "slender  man;  njop  p«qpp5e,  "great  sea;"  feub- 
C4jiji<vi5,  "  black  rock." 

3.  Tliis  is  especially  the  case  with  the  following  adjectives, 
some  of  which  are  hardly  ever  used  after  their  nouns:  be<vj, 
good;  bfioc,  evil;  pfop.,  true;  T)u<v6,  new;  re  at),  old;  cu<vc,  leit- 
handed. 

Numeral  adjectives  form  another  exception,  for  which  see  next 
chapter. 

4.  When  a  name  consists  of  two  words,  the  adjective  comes 
between  them;  as,  Sl^<vb  okSbal-rnop  Lu<xcp<v,  ".the  tremendous- 
large  Slieve  Lougher ;"  e<uhup}  tftfn  ^.luinn  2U<vc<\,  "the 
smooth  beautitul  Eman  Macba." 

5.  When  the  adjective  follows  its  noun,  it  agrees  with  it  in  gen- 
der, Dumber,  and  case;  as,  pewp.  tn&ic,  a  good  man;  f^eni  da 
tx)T)<x  rndipe,  "the  story  of  the  large  womau"  (gen.  sing  fern.); 
■&T*  -at)  <viblieir  10 1)5-0.1  rjc<v|  5,  "on  the  wonderlul  abyss"  (dat. 
sing.  fem.). 

6.  When  the  adjective  follows  its  noun,  the  initial  of  the  adjec- 
tive is  aspirated  under  the  circumstances  already  stated  in  tar. 
6,  page  16;  or  eclipsed  in  the  circumstance  stated  in  Par.  3, 
page  34. 

7.  When  two  or  more  nouns  are  joined  together,  and  are  fol- 
lowed by  an  adjective  which  qualifies  or  limits  them,  all  and  each, 
the  adjective  agrees  with  the  last:  in  other  words,  it  is  the  last 
noun  omy  that  influences  the  adjective,  both  in  grammatical  inflec- 
tion, and  in  initial  change;  as,  bear)  -o5tir  pe<vp  rn-a-ic,  a  good 
woman  and  man ;  pe-op.  <v5ur  be<vp  Th<v|C,  a  good  man  and 
woman. 

8.  When  the  adjective  precedes  the  noun,  as  in  Rule  2  and  3, 
above,  it  does  not  agree  with  the  noun,  i.e.,  it  is  not  influenced  by 
the  noun,  either  as  to  inflection,  or  as  to  initial  change;  in  other 
words,  the  simple  form  of  the  adjective  is  used,  whatever  be  the 
number,  gender,  or  case  of  the  noun;  as,  rnoft  u<virle,  "great 
nobles;"  60  rnop  u<virlib,  "to  [the]  great  nobles;"  bv\r)  cno-jc 
'emeann,  "  the  lair  hills  of  Erin  ;"  lu<\c  bapc-o,  "  swilt  barks  ;* 
FfoT1  TSeul,   "a  true  story ;"  flop.  P5eulc<v,  "  true  stories." 

9.  When  the  adjective  precedes  the  noun,  the  adjective  and 
the  noun  are  sometimes  regarded  as  one  compound  word;  and 
the  initial  of  the  noun  is  aspirated  (in  accordance  with  Par.  4, 
page  16);  also  the  vowel  of  the  adjective  is  often  modified  by  the 


84  SYNTAX.  [PAET   III. 

rule  c<v.ol  le  caol,  &c.;  as,  Oeifibrie  <xt)  Ouib-tHeibe  "  Deirdre 
of  Dubh-Shliabh;"  615-beAT),  "  a  young  woman." 

10.  When  the  adjective  precedes  the  noun,  the  initial  ot  the 
adjective  is  subject  to  the  same  changes  as  if  the  adjective  and 
the  noun  formed  one  word,  i.e.,  one  noun;  as  5&in.e  n<v  t)-6]5- 
■pe<x|i,  "  "the  laughter  of  the  young  men;"  -at)  r>arib-oll<nt)  rin, 
"that  chief  professor;"  at)  c-re<\.  n-be<vn  bocc,  "  tae  poor  old 
woman." 

Second  Cask — When  the  adjective  is  connected  with  the  noun 
by  a  verb : 

When  the  adjective,  instead  of  being  joined  immediately  with 
the  nouD,  is  predicated  of,  or  ascribed  to,  the  nuun  by  a  verb  of  any 
kind  (as  in  the  English,  "the  man  is  tall,"  "he  considered  the 
man  tall,"  "he  made  the  knife  sharp,"  "the  roads  were  made 
straight"),  in  this  case  the  following  three  rules  apply  : — 

1.  When  an  adjective  is  predicated  ot  a  noun  by  the  verb  c<\,  it 
follows  the  noun,  the  order  being:— verb,  noun,  adjective;  as  c*v 
<vn  Ia  bfie&5.  "  the  day  is  fine." 

2.  When  an  alj^ctive  is  predicated  of  a  noun  by  the  verb  ir,  it 
precedes  the  noun,  the  order  being: — verb,  adjective,  noun;  as  -|r 
b[ie&5  <nn  l*v  e,  "it  is  a  fine  day.'' 

3.  When  an  adjective  is  ascribed  to  a  noun  by  a  verb  of  any 
kind,  the  adjective  does  not  agree  with  the  noun,  i.e.,  the  adjec* 
tive  is  not  influenced  by  it,  either  initially  or  inflectionally;  in 
other  words,  the  simple  form  ot  the  adjective,  without  inflection, 
is  used,  whatever  be  the  number  or  gender  of  the  noun;  and 
the  initial  of  the  adjective  is  neithex  aspirated  nor  eclipsed 
(unless  under  the  influence  of  some  other  word);  as,  -|r  <v;b|T)n  bo 
cu<vin  -O.CO.Y  bo  c<vl<xpuiric  otc<xr  bo  rba.5<\.  rofnrcocACA 
c-a.erbd.ilne,  "delightful  are  thy  harbors  and  thy  bays,  and  thy 
flowery  lovely  plains:"  -e^itT/  cpoicne  rieice<\b  <\.ri  t)a 
r)-b^cu5oib  be*ri5,  "and  rams'  skins  dyed  red." — (Exodus, 
xxv.  5). 

The  first  example  (from  the  story  of  the  Children  ot  Usna),  ex- 
hibits both  an  agreement  according  to  Rule  5,  page  83,  and  a  dis- 
agreement according  to  the  present  rule.  For  the  three  nouns 
are  plural,  and  the  two  last  adjectives  which  qualify  them  directly 
are  in  the  plural  form,  while  the  first  adjective,  <xib|T)n  (modern 
■AOibmn),  whch  is  asserted  of  them  by  -|r,  is  in  its  simple  form 
(the  plural  would  be  Aibinne,  or  -cubne).  In  the  second  example 
cn-oicne  is  plural,  while  be<xp5  is  singular  (plural  be<xp5<\.). 

Observe  the  difference  in  meaning  in  the  following,  according 
to  agreement  or  disagreement: — Oo  ril^ne  re  t)a  brieve  5IAT/A; 
bo  Til^ne  Te  *)<*■  bti<vic  slar:  in  the  first  the  adjective  agrees 
with  the  noun,  (both  being  plural),  showing  that  it  qualities  it 
directly  (Rule  5,  page 83),  and  that  the  meaning  is,  "he  made  the 
green  .mantles;"  in  the  second  there  is  no  agreement,  (the  adjec- 


OUAP.  IV.]  NUMERAL     ADJECTIVES.  85 

tive  being  singular  and  the  noun  plural),  showing  that  th9  adjec- 
tive is  connected  with  the  noun  by  the  verb  (Rale  3,  page  84),  and 
that  tha  meaning  is  "  he  made  the  mantles  green." 


CHAPTER    IY. 

NUMERAL  ADJECTIVES. 

1.  A  numeral  adjective,  whether  cardinal  or  ordinal,  when  it 
consists  ot  one  word,  goes  before  its  noun;  as,  cpj  r^ri,  three  men; 
«wn  ban.  a.  h-<\.ic,  "in  the  second  place." 

2.  Numeral  adjectives,  both  cardinal  and  ordinal,  from  11  to 
19  inclusive,  take  their  nouns  between  the  simple  numeral  and 
oe-o.5;  as,  crif  c<xp<v|U  be<v5,  thirteen  horses;  <vn  crtesvr  c<vp<\pll 
be<v5,  the  thirteenth  horse. 

3.  ?Voi),  one;  ba,  two;  ce<\b,  first;  and  cjiea.r,  third,  cause 
aspiration;  as,  -aon  T>eA.ri,  one  man;  b&  tbnAOi,  two  women;  -an 
rpe<k.f  fre<\cr,  "the  third  occasion."    , 

4.  The  numerals  re<vcc,  occ,  n<vot,  and  be]c.  cause  eclipsis  (ex- 
cept the  nnun  begins  with  r,  in  which  case  there  is  no  change);  a?, 
re<\cc  m-bli<v6uA,  "seven  years;  '  occ  rn-ba,  "  eiglio  cows;" 
n<xoi  n-aibne,  "nine  rivers;"  be\c  b--piri,  "ten  men." 

5.  TL'3  numera's  cn.f,  ceicne,  CU15,  re,  the  ordinals  (except 
ce-ab  and  cne<vr:  Rule  3  above),  and  the  multiples  ot  ten,  cause 
no  initial  change;  as,  ceicfie  5<\b&iri,  "lour  hounds. ' 

6.  &on,  one,  and  all  the  multiples  often,  take  their  nouns  in  the 
singular  number;  as,  -aon  l<v,  one  day ;  ce<vb  ce-anr),  a  hundred 
heads  (lit.  "  a  hundred  head);''  cp;f  c<vo5<xb  1-aoc,  "three  times 
fifty  heioes  ;"  rnfle  be<vn,  "a  thousand  women." 

7.  O&,  two,  takes  both  the  article  and  the  noun  in  the  singu- 
lar number;  and  it  the  noun  be  feminine,  it  will  be  in  the  dative 
form;  as  bu  f:e<i|i,  two  men;  <vr)  b*v  l<vi,Tn,  the  two  hands.  (See 
next  two  iules). 

8.  If  the  noun  following  b'<\.  be  in  the  genitive,  it  will  be  in  the 
genitive  plural ;  as,  l&T)  <x  bu  l&ri),  "  the  full  of  his  two  hands." 

9.  Although  bi\  takes  the  article  and  noun  in  the  singular,  yet 
the  adjectives  and  pronouns  referring  to  the  noun  will  be  in  the 
plural,  and  the  noun  may  also  take  the  plural  verb;  as,  bo 
jl.u<vire<\bATv  <*n  ba  cn.eir)rbfle<xb  tit),  "these  two  strong 
heroes  went;"  rio  3<xb  -a  b*v  f  ieA.5  CTidpaitirmse  cri-anrj-ric-aTrjn.a 
■&TX  T)<x  b-pocriu^ab  <v  b-puil  t)<xcti<xc  neirhe,  "he  took  hi-*  two 
wide-socketed,  thick-handled  spears,  they  having  been  bathed  in 
the  blood  of  serpents."  Here  the  two  adjectives  and  the  pronoun 
referring  to  T^aj,  are  plural. 


86  SYNTAX.  [part  ni. 

CHAPTER   V. 
THE  PRONOUN. 

I.     PERSONAL     PRONOUNS. 

1.  Personal  pronouns  agree  with  the  nouns  they  represent,  in 
gender,  number,  and  person;  as  if  rn<vic  -an  be<vn  f,  she  is  a  good 
woman;  -|r  rn<v|C  <vn  f e<vti  e,  he  is  a  good  man;  ir  mdri  n<x 
boioine  i<xb,  they  are  great  men. 

2.  A  personal  pronoun,  or  a  possessive  pronoun,  which  stands 
for  a  sentence  or  part  of  a  sentence,  is  third  person  singular  mas- 
culine; as  b'<\  m-beibjr  TMP.  'Girie-ann  <vn  b<vn-  n-aS^I^,  n<x.c 
bu  ^einu&e  66|b  6,  "  if  the  men  ot  Erin  were  against  you,  they 
would  not  be  the  better  of  it;n  (here  the  pronoun  e  stands  for  the 
sentence). 

3.  The  accusative  forms  of  the  personal  pronouns  are  often  used 
as  nominatives:  always  with  if,  (see  Rule  18,  page  90),  and 
with  passive  verbs  (see  Rule  20,  page  91);  and  sometimes  with 
other  verbs;  a?,  m&r  m<vic  t)<v  le<x5<v  r]b,  aji  eifjon,  '"it  ye 
are  the  good  physicians,'  says  he." 

II.    POSSESSIVE    PRONOUNS. 

1.  A  possessive  pronoun  is  never  used  without  a  noun. 

In  English  there  are  distinct  forms  of  the  possessive  pronouns 
which  can  stand  without  nouns  (mine,  thine,  hers,  &c),  but  there  are 
no  forms  corresponding  to  these  in  Irish. 

2.  The  possessive  pronouns  precede  their  nouns;  as  rno  ir)'<\i4.]ji, 
my  mother;  ■&  5-c<viib<\b,  their  chariot. 

3.  The  possessives  mo,  my;  bo,  thy;  and  <v,  his,  aspirate  the 
initials  of  their  nouns;  as  mo  ce<vnn,  my  head;  bo  cor,  thy  foot; 
<v  Ttjeuri,  his  finger. 

4.  The  possessive  <v,  her,  requires  the  initial  of  its  noun  in  its 
primitive  state  (neither  aspirated  nor  eclipsed),  and  if  the  initial 
be  a  vowel,  it  prefixes  h;  as  <v  Tn&c<vin.,  her  mother;  ■&  h-<\.c<!qn., 
her  father. 

5.  The  possessives  &ri,  our;  boiri,  your;  and  <v,  their,  eclipse 
the  initial  consonants  of  their  nouns  (except  r,  on  which  they  ex- 
ert no  influence),  and  prefix  t)  to  vowels;  as  '<\ji  b-cfft,  our  coun- 
try ;  b-cvp.  rn-ba,  your  cows;  <v  n-<xe<vin,  their  father. 

6.  Possessive  pronouns  amalgamated  with  prepositions  (see  page 
42,)  have  the  same  influence  over  the  initials  ot  their  nouns,  as 
they  have  in  their  uncompounded  state;  as  bom  cjiO|be,  to  my 
heart;  6n<v  b-cfp,  Irom  their  country. 

7.  The  manner  of  using  the  emphatic  increase  after  the  posses- 
sive pronouns  has  been  already  pointed  out  in  Par.  3,  page  42.  For 
an  additional  Rule  of  possessives,  see  Rule  2,  above. 


OHAP.    T.]  BELA.TIVE    PRONTOTJNS.  87 

in.   RELATIVE    PRONOUNS. 

1.  The  relative  follows  its  antecedent  and  precedes  its  verb  ;  as, 
<M)  ce  <x  rub<xlp<vr,  the  person  who  shall  walk. 

2.  The  relative  aspirates  the  initial  of  its  verb ;  a=,  <vr)  l<voc  -a 
ti)<xrib  <\r>  c-<xc<vc,  "  the  hero  who  slew  the  giant."  To  this  the 
next  rule  is  an  exception. 

3.  When  the  relative  <v  signifies  "all  that,"  (see  Par.  ?,  page 
43),  it  eclipses  the  initial  of  its  verb;  as,  a  b-pud  6  Shaillpb 
bitb  be<vr,  "  all  that  is  from  Galway  southwards;"  bo  pejp  «. 
n-bubp<vrt)\\ri,    "  according  to  what  we  have  said." 

4.  When  the  relative  <v  is  governed  by  a  preposition,  expressed 
or  understood,  and  is  followed  immediately  by  a  verb  to  which  it 
is  not  the  nominative,  the  initial  of  the  verb  (except  r)  is  eclipsed ; 
;is,  <v  re  x)\6  pi)opp<v  b'<\  b-c&inic  <x  b\\r  ''  (tiie  following)  is  the 
circumstance,  indeed,  from  which  come  Ins  death;"  <vn  bo^c  ]t)\ 
t)-]t]Q]r,  "the  tent  in  which  they  used  to  eat;"  <v  bub<vipc  'Fiono 
50  n-b'on5r)<vb  (rfc)  51b  be  nor  <x  n-bion30&b  OpAnrnAib  1, 
"  Finn  said  that  he  would  make  (peace)  in  whatever  manner  Di.-ir- 
inaid  would  make  it"  (here  the  preposition  Ann  is  understood  : 
51b  be  T.or  "  «i)i) "  <v  n-bior)5nAb  Opxrirn<vib  f,  whatever  the 
manner  in  which  Liarmaid  would  make  it.     (See  next  rule.) 

5.  If,  in  the  case  stated  in  the  last  rule,  the  verb  is  in  the  pa^t 
tense,  with  the  particle  po  or  bo,  the  initial  of  the  verb  is  not 
eclipsed,  but  aspirated  (see  Pars.  1  and  4,  pages  50  and  51):  as, 
'&ic  -&n.  iu]C  0<xp<x  De<\p5,  "the  place  in  which  fell  Data 
Dearg," 

6.  The  relative  precedes  the  verb  which  governs  it  in  the  ac 
cusative  (as  in  Euglish);  as,  <vn  cfn.  <\.  5p4bui5trn,  the  country 
which  I  love. 

7.  As,  the  relative  has  no  inflection  for  case,  the  construction 
must  determine  whether  the  relative  is  the  nominative  to  the  verb 
which  tollows  it,  oris  governed  by  it  in  tl  e  acau  ative;  as,  <vt) 
c<\ri<x  <x  5p.<v6iij5pb'  rne,  the  friend  whom  1  love;  <vt)  c<\p<v  <v 
5P<vbui5e<vp  rne,  the  lriend  who  loves  me. 

8.  The  relative  is  often  omitted  both  in  the  nominative  and  in 
the  accusative;  as,  65I40C  bo  rhuponqri  rl fn  rnic  Pe)l,  co^nic 
uoqb  bo  bp<xc  n<v  'Gifiionp,  "a  youth  of  the  people  of  Nin  Mac 
Peil  (who)  came  from  him  to  view  Erin."  ?ln  le<xb<xn.  rio  rcpicb 
fC<vrnbpenpir)  bo  cu<\par5b<vpl  'eipjonp,  "the  book  (which) 
Cambrensis  wrote  on  the  history  of  Erin." 

9.  The  relative  <v  is  often  disguised  by  combination  with  other 
words  and  particles,  especially  with  rio,  the  mark  of  the  past 
tense;  as,  <\.n  rip.  on.  c&inic  rrje,  "the  country  from  which  I 
came  "  (here  6ji=6  <\  no);  pl*M5  len.  rn<vpb<\b  nof  rnfle  bjo',>, 
"a  plague,  by  which  were  killed  nine  thou-and  of  them  r  (here 
leru=le  <v  po) ;  at)  cfn-  b'<\.  b-cainjc  re,  the  country  to  which 
he  came  (b*v;=bo  <x);  l&  b<xp  cornop<\b  <xon<vc  le  P15  'eipecvnn, 


88  SYNTAX.      .  [PART  III. 

"  a  day  on  which  was  convoked  an  assembly  by  the  king  of  Erin" 
(bAn=bo  -a.  po);  T)f  bed.5  liomr<\.  <xp  floinneaf  pem  map 
ein-ic,  "I  do  not  think  it  little  what  I  have  named  as  an  ectc." 
?lp=A  po,  m  which  <v  means  "  all  that,"  (see  Par.  3,  page  43). 

IV.  DEMONSTRATIVE   PRONOUNS. 

1.  The  demonstrative  pronouns  follow  their  nouns  or  pronouns ; 
as,  <vn  pe^p  np,  "that  man;"  cpa.  he  tip?  "  who  is  that?" 

Exception — When  the  verb  ir  in  any  of  its  forms  is  understood  ; 
as,  rub  b<vp  5-cuib,  "yonder  (is)  your  meal;"  to  <vp  I  a,  ''this 
is  the  day." 

2.  If  the  noun  be  followed  by  one  or  more  adjectives,  the  de- 
monstrative pronoun  comes  last;  as,  cia  -ap  pe<\ri  b<*.ll<\c  b]pn- 
bpi  AcpAC  ub  ?     "  Who  is  that  fre  kled,  swreet-worded  man?" 

V.  INTERROGATIVE  AND   INDEFINITE  PRONOUNS. 

1.  A  interrogative  pronoun  comes  first  in  the  sentence;  as,  ca 
b-puil  rno  leabap?  "  where  is  my  book?  '  c^a  At)  laoc  uo  <\p 
5u<vl<vmn  5t)oill?  "who  is  that  hero  at  the  shoulder  of  Goll  ?" 

This  rule  holds  good  even  when  the  interrogative  is  governed 
by  a  preposition,  i.e.,  the  preposition  follows  the  interrogative 
that  it  governs;  as,  CAb  at  cii?  "  out  of  what  (place  art)  thou?" 
50  00  map  cA  cii  ?  "how  do  you  do?"  (literally  "like  to  what 
art  thou?")  crieab  p&.  <\p  eip5e<vb<xp?  "  what  tor  did  }e  rise  ?" 

2.  When  uile  precedes  its  noun,  it  means  "every;"  when  it 
follows  the  noun  it  means  "all;"  as,  rlAn  on  ttjle  3<vl<vri, 
"sound  from  every  sickness;"  bo  b<\c<vb  <vn  cine  baonA  30 
fy-AOt)  occ<vp,  "  all  the  human  race  was  drowned,  all  to  (except)  a 
single  eight." 

There  are  occasional  exceptions  ;  as,  bpop5  ApjbejorAC  it  P<* 
b-nile  fubAilcib,  "people  ignorant  in  all  virtues"  (in  this  pas- 
sage, from  Keating,  uple  means  "all,"  though  it  precedes  its 
noun). 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  VERB. 

1.  As  a  general  rule  the  verb  precedes  its  nominative;  as,  bo 
5lu<vir  Fep^ur,  "Fergus  went;"  bo  cl<voibe<vb  2lh\c  Sappapb, 
"  Mac  Garraidh  was  defeated."     (See  next  Rule). 

2.  When  the  nominative  is  a  relative  or  an  interrogative  pro- 
noun, it  precedes  the  verb;  and  sometimes  also  in  poetry,  the 
nominative,  even  though  a  noun,  precedes  the  verb;  as,  Ap  ce  a 
Tiubalpar,  "the  person  who  will  walk;"  cpeub  AcAAnpro? 
"  what  is  here?"  Oe6p<vp5ce  rfopa,  5<vn  rspt  5AT)  ror  mf<\p<\ib, 


OHAP.    VI.]  TIIE    VEISB.  89 

•a.  b-cin-  "f  ■*  r)-bucc<\.f,  "  perpetual  exile9,  without  pause  or  rest, 
long-lor  theii  country  and  their  native-home." 

3.  When  the  verb  is  transitive,  i.e.,  when  it  governs  the  accusa- 
tive (see  Rule  9,  below),  the  usual  order  is  verb,  nomiuative, 
object;  as,  bo  <vi5el  CorjcobAn  tiofi^c,  "  Conchobhar  addressed 
Burach;"  bo  tfoi)  5n&ir)ne  -an  conn,  "Grainne  filled  the  goblet." 

4.  But  wben  the  accusative  is  a  relative  or  an  interrogative 
pronoun,  the  usual  order  is,  pronoun  (or  accusative),  verb,  nomi- 
native; "  as,  <vn  l-cvoc  <v  conoquc  me  <vne,  "  the  hero  whom,  I  saw 
yesterday;"  c<vb  bein  cu?  "  what  sayest  thou?" 

5.  When  the  verb  z'<\  is  used,  the  usual  order  is,  verb,  nomina- 
tive, predicate;  as,  c&]b  n<v  ueulc<v  no-lonr)ft<vc,  "the  stars  are 
very  bright." 

6.  When  the  verb  ir,  expressed  or  understood,  is  used,  the 
usual  order  is,  verb,  predicate,  nominative;  as,  b<v  binne  <v  5ldn 
7)'<\  cedL  T)'<\  n-eun,  "  her  voice  was  sweeter  than  the  music  ot  the 
birds:'  t)|  p<vb<v  uaic  <vr)  &ic,  "not  (is)  far  from  thee  the 
place." 

Exception — If  the  article  is  used  before  the  predicate,  or  if  the 
predicate  is  a  proper  name,  the  order  is,  verb,  subject,  predicate; 
as,  ir  ciifA  -at)  cjn  no-<voibinn,  "thou  art  the  delightful  coun- 
try;" ir  me  Cfar),  tt)ac  C^irjce,  "I  am  Cian,  the  sen  ot  Caiute;" 
■an  cu  V]OT)J)  ?  "  art  thou  Finn  ?" 

7.  The  only  cases  in  which  there  is  agreement  between  the  verb 
and  its  nominative,  are  (1)  when  the  nominative  and  verb  are 
both  third  person  singular;  (2)  when  a  noun  or  pronoun  in  third 
plural  has  a  verb  in  third  plural,  in  accordance  with  Par.  9, 
page  45. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  (1)  is  a  genuine  case  of  agreement ; 
and  the  general  absence  of  agreement  between  verb  and  nomina- 
tive is  further  exemplified  in  the  following  rule: — 

8.  When  two  or  more  nouns,  whether  singular  or  plural,  joined 
by  a  conjunction,  are  nominatives  to  one  verb,  the  verb  has  the 
third  person  singular  form;  as,  bo  5lu&ir  One^r  -a^ur  na. 
bn<xoice  TidmpA,  "Breas  and  the  druids  went  forward." 

9.  A  transitive  verb  governs  the  noun  or  pronoun  which  is  the 
object  of  the  action,  in  the  accusative  case;  as,  buail  e,  "s'.rike 
him;"  bo  cuine<\b<vn  Cu<xc<v  Oe  0<vn<vnn  ceo  bnaoibe<\cc<v  ] 
T)-a.  b-cirnce<vll  t:ein,  "the  Tuatha  de  Dananns  put  a  magical 
mist  around  themselves." 

10.  The  initial  of  a  verb  in  the  infinitive  mood  is  aspirated,  un- 
less the  aspiration  is  prevented  by  some  special  influence. 

11.  The  preposition  le  or  ne  before  the  infinitive  active  often 
gives  it  a  passive  signification;  as,  (le<xb<qn  e^le)  -ac&  ne 
b-£<vicr it)  1  n-'eininn,  "  (other  books)  which  are  to  be  seen  in 
Erin." 


00  SYNTAX.  [PAET  III. 

But  in  many  such  constructions  the  preposition  expi  esses  pur- 
pose, and  the  signification  is  active;  as,  -&3ur  50  m-bjb  oll<*.n) 
Tie  bei)<vrh  penile  -cqri  -a  ce^le,  "and  that  they  are  ready  to  do 
treachery  on  each  other." 

12.  The  infinitive,  even  without  the  preposition  le,  has  often  a 
passive  signification;  as,  "Fiac]i<v,  rn<xc  ?^lene,  ei5e<xnn<v 
VJ^u^bofin,  bo  TT)<v|ibab,  "  Fiachra,  son  of  Ailene,  lord  of  Mourne, 
to  be  slain  "  (lit.  "  Fiachra,  &c,  to  slay"):  <v5ur  <xt)  pe^n  n-ac 
qobn<vb  (<xn  cfor)  j]X)  ti<xib,  <v  fftorj  bo  bu<vin  6f)<v  ce<vnr)  be, 
"  and  the  man  who  would  not  pay  that  tribute  from  him,  his  nose 
to  be  cut  off  from  his  head." 

13.  One  verb  governs  another  that  follows  it  or  depends  upon 
it  in  the  infinitive  mood;  as  ba.  m-b<vb  n<vc  n<vcp<\b  cl<vnnA 
2DoifiT)e  b'lATiTKMb'  V*  5-c-aou  r^n,  "  if  it  were  so  that  tlie  Olann 
Morna  had  not  Csme  to  seek  those  berries." 

The  following  very  important  rule  was  first  enunciated  by 
O'Donovan,  and  is  given  here  in  his  own  words  ("  Irish  Gram- 
mar," page  387) : 

14.  "  When  the  governed  verb  is  one  expressing  motion  or 
gesture,  which  aoes  not  govern  the  accusative,  the  sign  bo  is 
never  prefixed;  as,  bub<v|nc  re  Mom  bul  50  Conc<q5,  'he  told 
me  to  go  to  Cork.'  " 

15.  It  the  noun  which  is  the  object  of  a  transitive  verb  in  the 
infinitive  mood  follows  the  verb,  it  is  in  the  genitive  case;  as, 
c^T)5<xb<vTi  c<vbl<vc  mofi  bo  be<\.T)<vTt)  cojuib,  "a  great  fleet 
came  to  make  war  "  (nom.  co5<xb.  war:  gen.  cosuib);  bo  rf>il- 
le<\b  clojnne  lift,  "  to  kill  the  children  ot  Lir." 

16.  A.  noun  or  pronoun,  which  is  the  object  of  a  transitive  verb 
in  the  infinitive  mood,  often  precedes  the  verb,  and  in  this  case  it 
is  (not  in  the  genitive,  as  in  the  last  rule,  but)  in  the  accusative; 
as,  <v5ttr  ire<\b  bo  5010b,  b*v  cu&jlle  bo  cuu  1  b-c<v  Itt)<vit> 
<v5ur  ce<\ww  <\r)  r-rn&ice  bo  ce<xt)5<xl  b<x  5<vc  cuaille  biob, 
<v5iir  uball  bo  cun  <\in  tt)u.U<\.c  cu<v|lle  <vc<v,  "and  it  is  what 
he  used  to  do,  two  poles  to  put  in  the  earth,  and  the  end  ot  a  thread 
to  lie  to  each  pole  of  them,  and  an  apple  to  put  on  the  top  ot  a 
pole  of  them." 

17.  The  active  participle  ot  a  transitive  verb  governs  the  noun 
which  is  the  object  ot  the  action,  in  the  eeuitive  case;  as,  aj 
bnuicne<\b  <vt)  oirt,  "smelting  the  gold"  (lit.  " smelting  of  the 
gold") ;  bo  b|  <vn  5<vob<vl  jo  A5  munab  rcol,  "  this  Gaodhal 
was  teaching  schools"  (lit.  "teaching  of  schools");  <V5  cockle 
T)<x  c<xlrn<\n,  "  digging  the  ground." 

18.  The  verb  }r  in  any  of  its  forms,  expressed  or  understood, 
takes  the  accusative  form  of  a  personal  pronoun  as  its  nominative ; 
as,  11*  1  ce&bpAb  bnoinse  ne  re<xr)c\xr,  "  it  is  the  opinion  of 
some  historians;"  if  mjc  ni5  50  pffiinneac  ^b,  "they  are  truly 


CHAP.  VII.]  PREPOSITIONS.  91 

eons  ot  a  king;"  a^ut1   FiAFn<M5eAr   at)  TI15   cia  1)-iAb  peit), 
"and  the  king  asks  who  they  (are).  ' 

19.  Tlie  verb  if  is  very  often  omitted,  especially  in  negative  and 
interrogative  sentences,  and  in  answer  to  questions;  as,  beACA  at) 
TCAriAi6e  pfnmne,  "truth  (is)  the  food  of  the  historian;"  ce<vt)r) 
Dr)|ar%roub<v  Ui  Ofyuibne  ah  ce<vnn  ttb,  "that  head  (is)  the 
head  of  Diarmaid  O'Duibhne;"  cia  cut-a?  rnin  JoIIat),  "who 
(art)  thou?  I  (am)  Iollan;"  at)  ^fonv  rit)?  "whether  (is)  that 
true  r  nf  ")irh  "  (it  is)  not  I." 

20.  A  verb  in  the  passive  voice  takes  the  accusative  form  of  a 
personal  pronoun  as  its  nominative;  as,  beAT)CAji  e,  "  it  is  done  ;" 
bu<v|lce<vTi  iAb,  "they  are  struck." 


CHAPTER   VII. 

PREPOSITIONS. 

1.  A  simnle  preposition  governs  the  dative  (including  the  abla- 
tive, for  which  there  is  no  distinct  inflection);  as,  caithc  re  50 
Conc<xi5,  "he  came  to  Cork ,"  -0.5  coir  at)  c-rleibe,  "a.  the  foot 
of  the  mountain ;"  Ain-rbib  ctiib  bo  t)a  h-u^bATiAib.  t ome  of 
the  authors  reckon."     (See  next  rule  for  exception). 

2.  The  preposition  ibifi  generally  governs  the  accusai:Y»i n  the 
singular,  an  1  the  dative  in  the  plural;  as,  *biTt  Coticac  A5ur 
luimneac,  "between  Cork  and  Limer:ck  ;"  ib]ri  t)a  coi5eAbAib, 
"between  the  provinces." 

3.  The  prepositions  at)T),  50,  i<xti,  tiia,  le  or  Tie,  and  cati,  take 
X  before  at),  the  article,  the  r  being  sometimes  joined  with  the 
prepo?ition  and  sometimes  with  the  article;  as,  at)T)T"  at)  leAbAfi, 
or  at)t)  tad  leAbATi,  "in  the  book;"  leir  at)  b-peArt,  "with 
the  man."     (See  Par.  7,  page  21). 

4.  The  compound  prepositions  govern  their  nouns  in  the  geni- 
tive; as,  bo  riu5  at)  conna  riir  a  t)-a5<vi6  at)  ct)uic,  "he 
brought  the  tun  with  him  against  the  hill;  a  B-pi<xbT)uire  b-peATi 
T)-'einionT),  •'  in  presence  of  the  men  of  Erin;"  bo  5lu«if- 
eabATl  ClAT)T)  CuiTXeAT)T)  TXOTT)Pv\  b'ioT)T)ruibe  AT)  caca,  "the 
children  ot  Tuireann  went  forwards  towards  the  battle.'''1 

The  following  prepositions,  earn,  towards;  b&lA,  as  to;  beif, 
after;  iottjcut-a,  as  to;  n)e<\r5  or  Art)eAr5,  amongst;  rieiTi,  ac- 
cording to  ;  and  citt)C1oII,  about,  although  having  the  form  of 
simple  prepositions,  are  in  reality  compound,  and  take  their  nouns 
in  the  genitive.     (See  end  of  Par  3,  page  73). 

As  a  compound  preposition  consists  of  a  noun  governed  by  a 
simple  preposition,  it  is  in  reality  the  noun-part  of  the  compound 
preposition   that   governs  the  noun  in   the   genitive,   in   accord- 


92  SYNTAX.  [PAET   III 

ance  with  Rule  1,  page  79:  thus,  the  expression  above,  <v 
t)-<v5<v.i6  -cvr;  ct)Uic,  is  literally  "  in  the  face  of  tlie  hill,"  where 
cnujc  is  governed  in  the  genitive  by  <v5<v|6,  face;  and  so  of  the 
others. 

5.  The  simple  prepositions,  except  bo,  be,  5<xr),  and  ib^i,  gen- 
erally cause  eclipsis  in  singular  nouns  when  the  article  is  used;  as, 
6"n  5-cnoc  TMn,  "from  tliat  hill;"  015  <vr)  TT)-b<vile  n<x  h-inre, 
f|<v^,  "at  the  town  of  the  island,  in  the  west."     (See  page  22). 

6.  The  simple  prepositions  generally  cause  aspiration  when  the 
article  is  not  expressed ;  as,  <\-|fi  b-ajiri.  <vn  Cfioinn,  "  on  the  top 
of  the  tree;"  d  rhun.<v|b  n<v  Ce<vri)p.<vc,  ''from  the  ramparts  of 
Tara." 

Exception  1 :  <x  or  1,  1*71,  and  50  (when  it  means  "  with")  cause 
eclipsis  without  the  article;  as,  <v  rn  t3<vile-<xc-a-cli&c,  "  in  Baile- 
atha-cliath  (Dublin);"  -\<x-\x  n-Ojlinr),  "  alter  the  Deluge." 

Exception  2 :  -0.5,  le,  and  sometimes  50  cause  no  change  in  the 
initial,  and  5<xr)  may  either  aspirate  or  not;  as,  rl&n  le  W<\]^, 
"farewell  to  (the  river)  Maigue;"  "o'n  c-S|ot)Uipn  "Hop.  5° 
F<MTlT"-5e)  "  from  the  Shannon  east  to  the  sea-' 

7.  When  a  simple  preposition  ending  in  a  vowel  comes  before 
the  possessive  <v  (whether  it  signifies  his,  her,  or  their),  the  letter 
T)  is  inserted  between  the  vowels;  as,  C|ie  n-<v  b<vr<xib,  '■'through 
his  hands;"  <vt)  l&  50  i)-<v  l&r)  c-riollre,  "  the  day  with  its  abun- 
dant   light.*' 

Except  after  bo  and  be  ;  as,  c<\.15<vifi  f  eurv  b'*v  c<xp<\U,  "  give 
grass  to  his  horse;"  b^]t)  5eu5  b'a.  5-cri<vnn,  "  taKe  a  branch 
from  their  tree." 

Before  any  other  word  beginning  with  a  vowel,  the  letter  h  is 
usually  inserted  after  these  prepositions  ;  as,  bo  cu<v|b  re  50 
h  ?Ub<vio,  "he  went  to  Alban  (Scotland,)." 


PABT  rv.] 


IDIOMS. 


PART  IV. 


IDIOMS. 

An  idiom,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  used  here,  may  be  defined : — 
An  expression  that  has  acquired  by  usage  a  certain  meaning, 
which  becomes  lost  in  a  word-tor-word  translation  into  another 
language;  so  that  in  order  to  convey  the  true  meaning  in  that 
other  language,  the  form  of  expression  must  be  changed. 

Thus,  "t&  <vn  leab^ri  -0.5  <\t)  bum©  "  is  an  idiom,  tor  its  sense 
is  lost  in  the  word-for-word  translation,  li  the  book  is  at  the 
man  ;"  and,  in  order  to  convey  the  true  meaning,  the  English  ex- 
pression must  be  changed  to  "  the  man  has  the  book." 

Idioms  constitute  one  of  the  chief  difficulties  in  learning  any 
language;  and  the  student  is  recommended  to  master  this  Part, 
in  which  the  principal  idioms  of  the  Irish  language  are  explained 
and  illustrated. 

1.  The  Infinitive  governing  Possessive  Pronouns. 

The  infinitive  of  a  transitive  verb  governs  its  object  in  the  geni- 
tive (Syntax,  Rule  15,  page  90).  When  the  object,  instead  ot  being 
a  noun,  is  a  personal  pronoun,  then,  according  to  the  analogy  of 
the  Rule  quoted,  it  should  be  in  the  genitive  case.  But  the  genitive 
of  a  personal  pronoun  is  a  possessive  pronoun  ;  and  possessive 
pronouns  precede  the  words  they  refer  to;  so  that  the  pronoun 
wi.ich  represents  the  object  of  the  action,  is  a  possessive,  and  pre- 
cedes the  infinitive,  influencing  its  intial  as  if  it  were  a  noun  (see 
Syntax,  page  86,  Rules  3,  4,  5).  This  gives  rise  to  idiomatic  expres- 
sions like  the  following,  which  are  of  very  frequent  occur- 
rence : — 


To  strike 


English.  Irish. 

'me,  bo  rno  bu<xl<v6, 

thee,  bo  bo  bu<vl<vb, 

him,  bo  <v  bu<xl<\b, 

•;  her,  bo  <v  bu<xl<\b, 

us,  bo  <\ri  rn-bu<vl<vb, 

you,  bo  bufi  rn-bu<\l<\.b, 

them,  bo -a  m-bu<xlAb, 


Contracted  to. 
born'  bu<xl-&b\ 
bob'  bualokb. 
b&  bu<xl<vb. 
b<x.  bu<vl<xb. 
b*vri    TT)-bu<vl<vb. 
(not   contracted). 
b&  rn-bu<il<\b. 


These  may  be  translated  literally,  "  to  my  striking"  "to  their 
striking,"  &c. 

A  like  construction  prevails  in  the  case  of  a  transitive  participle: 
aj  a  bu<vl<vb,  "  striking  him;"  -a.5  <v  bu<vl<vb,  ''  striking  her;"  A5 
fcri  rn-bu<vl<vb,  "striking  us,"  &c.     In   this  construction  the  par- 


94  IDIOJJB.  [PAET  IV. 

ticiple  may  itself  be  governed  in  the  genitive  case  by  a  noun: — 
clinic  Tnf<vn  <v  Tt)&jibc<v  b<vrn  ^e]t),  "a  desire  to  kill  them,  has 
come  to  me '  (lit.  "a  desire  of  the  killing  of  them,"  or  "  of  their 

killing.") 

2.  Compound  Prepositions  governing  Possessive  Pronouns. 

A  compound  preposition  governs  the  genitive  (Rule  4,  page  91) ; 
and  wht  n  the  governed  word  is  not  a  noun  but  a  personal  pro- 
noun, this  last  becomes  a  possessive,  and  goes  before  the  noun- 
part  of  ihc  compound  preposition,  giving  rise  to  idiomatic  phrases, 
corresponding  with  those  quoted  in  last  Idiom.  Example;  <v|ri 
ro^,  for  the  sake  of;  <vifi  <v.  for),  for  his  sake;  oiiji  hurt  rot),  for 
your  *ake,  &c.  Do  cu<v]b  Oi<\.n.rn<vib  b&  h-e*r,  "Diarmaid  went 
alter  her;"  c&ir)ic  tinne<vr  onri<v  petn,  -cvsur  <vri  <t  rl|occ  't)-<v 
r)-bi<vi6,  "sickness  came  upon  themselves,  and  on  their  posterity 
after  them.'' 

A  similar  construction  often  occurs  with  the  compound  adverbs. 
Example:  coiri  <v|r,  "backwards;"  bo  cu<vi6  re  cari  <v  <v-r,  "he 
weut  backwards;"  too  cu&ib  rj  c<\ri  <v  h  <\.ir,  "  she  went  back- 
wards;" bo  ctt<\-|b  i*i ab  c-ari  <v  t)-<\]y,  "they  went  back- 
wards,'" &c. 

3.  To  die. 

"  To  die,"  is  very  often  expressed  in  Irish  by  a  phrase  meaning 
"to  find  death:"  the  verb  f:<v5,  fiad,  being  used  for  this  purpose, 
in  its  various  forms;  as,  <xt)  baria  bl-|oi3<v-T>  b\\  e*r  r"n  T*u&iri 
]rii<vl  bar,  "the  second  year  after  that  Irial  found  death;"  <v5ur 
rn&r  -anr)  <vc'<\.  <\  n-b&n  b<vrr)  b&r  b'j:&5A*l,  "  and  it  it  be  here 
that  it  is  in  fate  for  me  death  to  find"  (i.e.,  "  that  it  is  fated  for  me 
to  die.") 

There  is,  however,  a  single  verb  b'eus,  meaning  to  die,  but  it 
is  not  used  so  often  as  the  above.  The  following  example  exhibits 
both  forms: — 2V  be*ri  cn/|b  bo  t)<\  re<vnu5b<vfKvib  5tiri  <xb  ■&. 
T)5leoiT)r)  b<x  loc<x  ^iicuri.  NAorh  Pvxbn.u'5  b*vr;  b|ob  50 
T)-<xbri<xib  briur)5  o'le  surKvb  -ann  ?lribmac<v  b'eu5  re,  "  some 
of  the  old  authors  say  that  it  is  in  Glendalough  St.  Patrick  found 
death,  although  another  party  say  that  it  is  in  Armagh  he  died." 

4.  Nominative  Absolute. 

What  is  called  the  nominative  absolute  in  English  is  expressed 
in  Irish  by  the  preposition  <v|ri  (on),  or  -|<vri  (after),  placed  belore 
the  participle,  and  the  preposition  bo  (to)  before  the  noun;  which 
will  be  understood  from  the  following  examples: — <vfi  rn-beic 
•&c<v  f*Ab<x  too  Chorirn&c  <v5  -a.  b-j:eiqorh,  "  Cprmac  having  been 
a  long  time  watching  them  "  (lit.  "  on  being  a  long  time  to  Cor- 
mac  a-watching  of  them") :  <y5ur  <\-|Ti  Tn-be*6  oU<xrb  bon  lums, 
"  and  the  ship  being  ready"  (lit.  "  and  on  being  ready  to  the 
sbip");  <v5ur.<vif%  i)-bul  <v  lttit)5  b6|bt  "and  they  having   gone 


PAKT   IT.]  IDIOMS.  95 

into  a  ship:"  (lit.  "and  on  going  into  a  ship  to  them1')  ;  i<vn. 
in-be^c  cpe<vn  if  *i)  eft1  bop*},  "  they  having  grown  strong  in  tae 
country"  (lit.  "  after  being  strong  in  the  country  to  ihem.'  } 

5.  To  have  no  help  tor  a  thing. 

The  Irish  phrase  corresponding  to  this  is  "  to  have  no  strength 
(ne<vnc)  on  a  thing:"  the  having  being  expressed  in  accordance 
with  Idiom  34.  Nf  b-£Uil  ne<vpc  <v,5<un.  <v|p  <vp  T)i6  ftp,  "  I 
have  no  help  lor  that  thing — I  cannot  help  that"  (lit.  "  there  is  to 
me  no  strength  on  that  thing").  ?^5ur  bubAipx  5p«vipne  p<\c 
p<vpb  peapc  <\~\ce  peio  <vip,  "andGrainne  said  that  she  had  no 
help  lor  it"  (or  "  could  not  help  it,"  "  could  not  have  prevented 
it').  Sometimes  lei5e<vr,  lemedy  or  cure,  is  used  in  the  same 
way  as  i)e-o.n.c. 

6.  To  cause  a  thing  to  be  done. 

To  cause  a  thing  to  be  done,  to  have  it  done,  to  see  that  it  is 
done,  is  often  expressed  in  Irish  by  bo  cup.  (or  bo  c<\.b<qpc)  ip'<\ 
be<vp<v,  "  to  put  (or  bring,  or  give,)  under  notice."  ?^5ur  po 
cuip  2U|o6<vc  ?■&.  t)be<\.n<v  uip.  lore  Cujle  bo  cup.  ^uib,  "and 
Miodliach  caused  the  mould  (or  soil)  of  Inis  Tuile  to  be  placed 
under  you;"  bo  pu5  (p.f5)  bpeac  b&ir  -&-|p  <x.p  m-bpeice<un, 
<v-5ur  CU5  -pA  be-a.p<\.  <v  cp.oc<vb,  u  (che  king),  passed  sentence  of 
death  on  the  judge,  and  had  him  hanged"  ("put  under  notice  him 
to  hang,"  or  "  his  hanging"). 

7.  Number  of  individuals  of  which  a  company  is  composed. 

The  number  of  individuals  of  which  any  collection  of  persons  or 
things  is  made  up,  is  often  inserted,  in  the  nominative  form,  in  a 
narrative  sentence,  without  any  syntatical  connection  with  the 
rest  of  the  sentence.  ?^5ur  c<vipic  Lip  poirpe  Appcvrp&p&c, 
c-ao,5<vc  c<*ippce-ac,  6  Shjoc  t)ui6b  Oe-||S3,  "and  Lir  set  out  on 
the  morrow,  titty  chariot-men,  trom  Shee  Bove  Lerg"  (i.e.,  with 
chariots);  <v5itr  clinic  Dobb  Oe<vp5,  paoi  ceab  fptceAb,  b<\. 
p-1onprui5e;  "and  Bove  Derg  came,  twenty-nine  hundred  men, 
towards  them." 

This  is  like  the  English: — "The  Duke  began  his  march  next 
morning,  20,000  strong." 

8.  Passive  Verbs  used  impersonally. 

A  passive  verb  is  often  used  impersonally;  as,  5<vbr<v  cU5<v]00 
<xtt)<vc,  <v.,5«r  pf  l<Mpp<vp  pup^u^Ab  ope,  "come  forth  to  us,  and 
no  one  will  dare  to  wound  thee:"  (literally,  "and  it  will  not  be 
dared  [to  put]  wounding  on  thee"). 

Ihis  form  of  expression  is  ot  very  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
older  narrative  writings:— thus,  instead  of  "  they  advance;  they 
plunge  into  the  (river)  Crond,"  the  writer  expresses  himself  in 
this  way:-  -"it  is  advanced;  it  is  plunged  into  the  Crond." 


96  IDIOMS.  [PABT  IV. 

9.  Nominatives  before  Infinitives  and  Participles. 

Instead  of  the  usual  assertive  construction,  consisting  of  a  verb 
with  its  nominative  (noun  or  pronoun),  the  following  construction 
is  often  adopted: — the  verb  is  put  in  tbe  infinitive  or  participial 
form,  and  the  subject  (whether  noan  or  personal  pronoun)  is 
placed  before  it,  the  pronoun  being  placed  in  the  accusative  form 
(but  whether  the  noun  is  nominative  or  accusative  cannot  be  de- 
termined, as  there  is  no  distinction  of  form);  as,  -|r  <xri)l<x.i6  bj 
Il<vin  <*5ur  Oeijibrie,  A5ur  at)  cerjncAirf)  ec<v|xTi<x,  <\5ur  ]<xb 
■*3  1*1)1  T*c  umiie,  "  it  is  in  this  manner  Naisi  and  Deirdre  were 
(seated),  and  the  Cencchaimh  (a  chess  board)  between  tliem,  and 
they  pitying  on  it ;"  if  <vri)lAib  Go  b]  CobcAC,  -a^ur  e  -a.^  re-ATi- 
3<v6,  "it  is  thus  Cobhtach  was,  and  he  pining  away;"  cuijiiof 
rceula  50  OlAcnuib  e  pem  bo  beic  Ann  rin,  "he  sends  word 
to  Blanid,  he  himself  to  be  there"  (i.e.,  "  that  he  himself  was 
there'1). 

This  form  of  expression  is  often  adopted,  even  when  the  verb  or 
participle  is  (not  expressed  but)  understood;  as,  bo  cuip.  (<xn  cu) 
a  ce<\.T)n  a  n-ucc  Ohl<vnmub<v  <i5iir  e  ioa  cobl-A  "(the  hound) 
put  her  head  in  the  breast  of  Diarmaid,  and  he  in  his  sleep.'1'' 

IO.  One  person  meeting  another. 

"  Donall  met  Fergus"  is  often  expressed  in  Irish  in  the  following 
way: — Oo  CArAb  "FeriTjur  <v|u  Dott)T)aU;  literally,  "  Fergus  was 
met  (or  turned)  on  Donall.'"  Do  c<\r<vb  &oibell  tja  CfiAi^e 
le]ce  oriuinn,  "we  met  Eevel  of  Craglea"  (lit.  "Eevel  of  Craglt-a 
was  met  [or  turned]  on  us1'):  c]<x  CArpAibe  OTim  acc  rcitAib- 
be<xn,  "  whom  should  I  meet  but  the  fair  woman"  ("  who  should 
be  met  on  me"). 

The  same  idea  is  expressed  by  the  verb  catiIa,  happened :  A5ur 
cajvIa  05IAC  orxp-CA  <v|i  TT)-bo5AC,,  "and  they  met  a  youth  on 
the  moor"  (lit.  "and  a  youth  happened  on  [or  to]  them"); 
crqalluib  50  Sl"|Ab  SD^f  50  cc&u.Ia  DarjbA  50  t)-a  btiAOiqU 
on-TiA  Ant),  "they  travel  to  Slieve  Mish,  until  they  met  Bauba 
with  her  druids  there"  ("until  Banba  with  her  druids  happened 
on  [or  to]  them  there"). 

11.  Although:  Although  not. 

5-|or)  50,  or  5ion  511  ft,  has  two  opposite  meanings  which  can 
only  be  distinguished  by  the  general  sense  of  the  passage:  some- 
times "although"  (or  "although  that"),  and  sometimes  "although 
not," 

Although : — a  "Fhinn,  ati  Or^Aft,  3101)  51171  po^re  mo  3A0I 
buicre  r>A  bo  OhiAfimuib  O'Ohujbne,  '"  O  Finn,'  says  Oscar, 
'  although  my  relationship  with  thee  is  nearer  than  to  Diarmaid 
O'Duiblme.'  " 

Although  not: — bo  befium  cornAfftle  ihAic  bfb,  a  ChlAfni) 
U-1f015,  5ion  50  T)-bencAfv   lib   \,   "  1  shall  give  a  good  counsel  to 


PART   IV.]  IDIOMS.  97 

you,  9  sons  of  Usna,  though  it  will  not  be  done  by  you;"  5jon 
51171  ceixnfib  Tt)T)&  <vn  n|6  r^n,  "although  that  proceeding  would 
not  be  the  business  ot  a  woman."  . 

12.  To  be  able. 

To  be  able  to  do  a  thing  is  expressed  in  different  ways.  The 
most  usual  is  by  phrases  of  the  type,  ir  ?e ]b] fi  le,  "it  is  possible 
with;"  as,  ir  "pejbiri-  lion)  <v  be<x.t)«.6,  ''lean  doit"  (lit.  "it  is 
possible  with  me  to  do  it").     See  Idiom  1. 

Another,  and  more  idiomatic  way,  is  by  the  verb  c\5]rt),  "I 
come,"  in  its  various  moods  and  tenses;  and  with  this  verb  "I 
can  do,"  or  "  I  am  able  to  do,"  is  expressed  by  "it  comes  with 
me  to  do  ;"  as,  rnuna.  b-ci5e<vb  p-pr  <xn  c<\.ille<vc  b'<xrn<xr,  "un- 
less be  would  be  able  to  strike  the  hag"  (lit.  "  unless  it  would 
come  with  him  the  hag  to  strike");  -&cc  ppr  bo^se  pinn  in<\ 
X]t)  n)<v]x  <vc<xib  &p.  b-CTtf  ^einnibe  ce<\r)5<\ilce  ip&p.  b-£i<*b- 
nuire,  <*5ur  t}<vc  b-ci5  |%tt) r>  "T5<\opleAb  bfoli,  "  and  we  think 
more  grievous  than  that,  how  our  three  champions  are  bound  in 
our  presence,  and  that  we  are  not  able  to  tree  them;"  nf  cuifv 
e<von  u<vl<\6  oppAipn  p<vc  b-ci5  b|t)T)  <v  ion)C<\p,  "  he  puts  not  a 
burden  on  us  that  we  are  not  able  to  bear." 

Sometimes  the  verb  c<\  or  11*  is  used  instead  of  05,  and  also  the 
preposition  -A.5  instead  of  le;  as,  6  t)ac  Ipm  but  on  3-conc<v* 
baipe  ro,  "since  I  cannot  escape  irom  this  danger"  ("  since  it  is 
not  with  me  to  go  from  this  danger":  here  p|*  is  understood);  6 
r)<vc  b-f  u^l  bul  u<\]b  <X5UU),  "  since  I  cannot  escape  trom  him" 
("since  it  is  not  with  me  to  go  from  him"):  here  c<\  and  -0.5  are 
used,  as  in  "  possession :"  Idiom  34. 

13.  One  of  a  pair. 

One  of  a  pair  is  often  expressed  by  the  word  le<vc,  half;  le<vc- 
cor,  "one  foot"  (lit.  "half-foot"').  In  this  compound  the  word 
le<xc  is  used  adjectively,  so  that  le-ac-cor  means,  not  half  of  & 
foot,  but  a  half -foot  (i.e.,  a  foot  which  is  itself  a  half,  i.e.,  half  of  a 
pair).  So  also  le-ac-fupl,  "one  eye;"  leAC-c<\ob,  "one  side," 
&c.  ]r  <xrnl<xib  bo  b]  <vn  P15  fi*)  <V5UT  leac-l<vTh  <vm,5lb  <v|fi, 
"it  is  thus  that  king  was,  and  one  hand  of  silver  on  him." 

14.  To  be  alone. 

The  word  •&or)<v[i,  which  the  dictionaries  now  interpret  as  mean- 
ing "alone,"  was  oiiginally  a  concrete  numeral  noun  like  cpiufx, 
cui5e<vjx,  &c.  (page  37),  and  meant  "one  person;"  and  this 
meaning  it  retains  to  some  extent  in  its  present  application  :--bo 
fiub<xl  rne  <v'rn  -Aorxvp,  "I  walked  alone"  (lit.  "  I  walked  in  my 
one  person"  [see  Idiom  42]  :  or  "  I  walked  as  one  person") ;  bo 
f  |ub<vl  cu  <vb'  <vot)<v|x,  "thou  walkedst  alone;"  bo  fpib<vl  rj  n-<v 


98  IDIOMS.  [PABT   IT. 

h-<x.on<\.p,  "  she  walked  alone,"  &c. ;  *ro  <xop<vp.  re<vl   <v  rptb&l 
bibear,  "  aloae,  of  a  time,  walking  I  was." 

Another  way  of  saying  in  Irish,  "he  is  alone"  is  "he is  with 
himself:""c&.  me  1mm  fein,  "I  am  alone  (''I  am  with  myself '): 
c'<x  ci'i  le<\.c  pe]n,  "  tliou  art  alone;"  c&  ri<xb  leo  fe|n,  "they 
are  alone;"  c<x  mo  rp'<viepfo  'n-a  coblab,  <x5Uf  TOIfe  Mom  pejn, 
'•  my  mother  is  asleep,  and  I  am  alone." 

15.  One  thing  given  for  another. 

When  you  give  or  take,  sell  or  buy,  one  thing  for  another,  it  is 
expressed  in  Irish  by  saying  you  give  it  &c,  on  that  other,  the  pre- 
position <vip  being  used.  Oo  CU5  re  cn.f  b<v  <vip  <vr>  5-capall 
rip,  "be  gave  three  cows  for  that  horse;"  <\.fri  '6ipe  r>f  'neo- 
r<\inn  c-|<v  h-f,  "  for  Erin  I  would  not  tell  who  she  is"  ('ne6r<\.ipr) 
for  ir)neor<*inn,  see  page  54). 

In  this  sense,  trie  preposition  <v|p  is  set  before  the  noun  of  price  ; 
bo  ce<vonui5eAr  -a.nbo  b<vp  rm  <vfri  re  y>(i]t)c,  "I  bought  that 
wbite  cow  for  six  pounds;"  nf  1)  10050*,  <vp  Copmac,  6|p  ir 
m&in  <\p  lu<vc  cu^Af  uippe,  "'No  wonder,'  says  Oormac,  'for 
good  is  the  price  I  gave  lor  it.'  " 

16.  Debt. 

Tbefact  tbat  Dunall  owes  Fergus  money,  or  thatDonall  is  under 
any  obligation  to  pay  money  to  Fergus,  is  expressed  by  saying, 
"  Fergus  has  money  on  Donall,"  the  preposition  <vp>  being  used 
before  tbe  name  ot  the  debtor,  and  the  act  of  "having"  being 
expresstd  by  c<v  and  <v,^  as  in  Idiom  34.  C&  crif  pu]nc  <\5  "Feri- 
Tjnr  <MP  OorhpAU,  " Donall  owes  three  pounds  to  Fergus;"  r/<\ 
be<xp  e^te  <v  T)6oc<v|ll  <v  b-puil  oqci  copdio<MP,  "  there  is 
another  woman  in  Yougbal  to  whom  he  owes  a  crown"  ("to 
whom  is  a  crown  on  him');  if  -a.ml<Mb  bo  bf  «.p  PI5  ro,  <v5Uf 
c|or  c&in  mop  cpom  -a.5  "Fomop<vi5  <vp  Cuaca  De  Oan<vnn  pe 
n-<v  lion,  "it  is  how  tbis  king  was,  and  (that)  the  Fomorians  bad 
a  great  heavy  tribute  and  rule  over  the  TuatbaDe  Dananns  during 
bis  time"  ("  a  great  heavy  tribute  and  rule  was  with  the  Fomo- 
rians on  the  Tuatha  De  Dananns"). 

17.  Asking,  entreating,  <fcc. 

To  ask,  request,  entreat,  or  demand  of  a  person,  is  expressed  by 
"  to  ask,  &c,  on  that  person :"  l&pp  <xip  01)|<x  p<v  3P&r<v  r]p, 
"  ask  of  God  those  graces." 

l«i.  Sensation,  suffering,  &c. 

That  a  person  is  hungry,  thirsty,  cold,  afraid,  sick,  &c,  is  ex- 
pressed m  Irish  by  saying  that  hunger,  thirst,  cold,  fear,  sickness, 
&c  ,  is  on  him,  the  preposition  <xip  being  used  :  c'<\  p uacc  oritp 
('cold  is  on  me"),  "I  am  cold;''  i)'<\  bjob  e*5l<v  ope  ("  let  not 
tear  be  on  thee"),  "be  notatraid;1'  bo  bf  c<\.]ic  mop<vip  SheA5<vp 


PAET   IV.]  IDIOMS.  99 

("  great  thirst  was  on  John"),  "John  was  very  thirsty;"1  c&b  e 
y\r)  one?  ("  what  is  that  on  thee? ')  "what  ails  you?"  3V  cuirle 
Tip  cuoibe,  crieub  f  <vt)  511.ua.1rn  T10  otic?  "O  pulse  of  my  heart, 
what  is  that  frown  on  thee  V 


19, 


One  person  entertaining  feelings  (of  love,  hatred,  &c.)  towards 

another. 


That  Donall  entertains  certain  feelings  towards  Fergns  is  ex- 
pressed hy  saying  that  Donall  has  such  feelings  on  Fergus;  the 
preposition  <nn-  being  used  before  "Fergus,"'  and  the  act  of 
"having"  being  expressed  by  c&  and  -0.5,  as  in  Idiom  34: — nf  rno 
<vr)  cion  no  b*v  -A.5  3U>n,5ur  opera  ina.  <vn  cion  no  b&  A.5  Tnuio- 
cin  &on5ur<v.  an  n)<vc  -an  ne<\cc<vme,  50  naib  porirrjab  mdn 
<vn  c'<vcam  £&  P -a  cionn  rin,  "not  greater  was  the  affection 
Aonghus  felt  for  thee  than  the  affection  tlie  people  of  Aonghus 
felt  tor  the  son  of  the  steward,  so  that  thy  father  felt  great  jeal- 
ousy on  that  account"  (lit.  "not  greater  was  the   affection  which 

was  with  Aonghus  on  tliee, so   that  great  jealousy 

was  on  thy  father  on  the  head  of  that:"  see  Idiom  32). 

Where  the  agent  is  not  specified,  a  similar  form  ot  expression  is 
retained:  you  are  loved,  is  expressed  by  love  is  on  you;  you  are 
esteemed,  by  estimation  is  on  you,  &c. ;  C\v  meat"  <v,5iir  cion  mou 
■ain  Orc<vn  (•' great  esteem  and  love  are  on  Oscar'),  " Oscar 
is  greatly  esteemed  and  loved" 

80.  To  know :  to  know  a  person. 

To  know  is  usually  expressed  in  Irish  by  the  phrase  knowledge 
is  with  me,  I  have  knowledge;  and  to  know  a  person  by  "to 
have  or  to  give  knowledge  on  a  person:"  '"  <\5ur  <VH  b-pu.il  -a 
f^or  a.^-ab  -pem,  -a  "Fbinn?'  'njb-cuil'  -an  'Pionn:"  "'do  you 
know  it.  O  Finn?'  'I  do  not,'  says  Finn;"  (lit.  "is  its  knowledge 
with  you,  O  Finn?"  "  It  is  not,'' savs  Finn)  :  <vn  &-1  leae  nor 
b'p&^ail  ?  "do  you  wish  to  know?"  ("is  it  a  desire  with  yoi 
knowledge  to  get?";  biob  -a  f^or  A5<vc,  -a.  leu^coin,  "  know,  O 
reader"  ("  be  it-*  knowledge  with  thee,  O  reader'  ):  (strangers  are 
seen  coming  towards  Finn  and  his  party),  no  f:lApn<M5  Fionn 
bo  c&c  <\.n  b-cu^abAn  -a'cne  onpea,  "  Finn  asked  of  the  others 
did  they  know  them"  (lit.  "did  they  put  knowledge  on  ttiem"); 
-&5ur  eu^Airre  -aicne  onrn,  'and  thou  knewest  me"  (.lit.  "and 
thou  didst  put  knowledge  on  me'). 

81.  To  part  from:  to  separate  from. 

To  separate  from  a  per?on  is  expressed  in   Irish  by  "to  separate 
with  a  person,"  the   preposition   le    or   ne    being  used:  much  in 
the  same   manner   as   we  say  in   English,   "  I  parted  with  him:" 
rcap<\ban  pen)   <V5ur    Opapmaib  ne  n-a  ceple,  "they  them 
selves  and  Diarmaid  separated   from  each   other;"  bo  reap,  re 


100  IDIOMS.  [PART  IV. 

tilT)T>, -"he  separated  from  as;"'  rc<vfi  Orc^T*  le  OiArtmAib, 
"Oscar  separated  from  Diarmaid;"  bo  rcAri  riir,  "he  separated 
from  him;"  A3  Ciin.?iAC  CpU'-bAfiA  bo  rcAriAr  le  5fx<vb  rip 
crioibe,  "at  tlie  Curragh  of  Kildare  I  parted  from  the  '  love  ol 
my  heart.' " 

22.  However  great,  however  good,  however  brave,  &c. 

Oa  placed  before  some  abstract  nouns  gives  a  meaning  which, 
though  it  is  well  understood  in  practical  use,  has  puzzled  gram- 
marians to  analyse  and  explain,  and  which  will  be  best  understood 
by  a  tew  examples.  From  the  adjective  aIa^t),  tine  or  beautiful, 
is  formed  Aplne  or  ApUe,  fineness,  beauty ;  and  b<x.  &ilne  or  b<v 
&lUe,  imans  "however fine,"  "how  fine  soever."  Examples: — 
Mf  "b-puil  pionur  b*v  rheub,  tjac  b-citillib,  "there  is  no  pun- 
ishment however  great  that  they  do  not  deserve;"  at)  crte<vj* 
5eir,  3A0  corhp.A3  Aoinpifi  bA  cpeiri  Ain  CAlrbAir)  b'ob<vb, 
"  the  third  injunction,  not  to  refuse  single  combat  to  any  man  on 
earth,  however  mighty;"  be<\.rr)<vn  t)a  bi<vb<vl  b'<\  cp.e|re  l<vrh, 
"demon  or  devil,  however  mighty  of  hand." 

23.  Both  one  and  another :  both  these  and  those. 

Both,  in  such  phrases  as  "  both  men  and  women,'1  is  often  ex- 
pressed in  Irish  by  the  preposition  ibifi,  between;  as,  b-cvin^lb 
Oia  r*vr<\.rr)  t>iob  Ai)n  3AC  rocAfi  b'A  b  CU3  b6]b  ibiri  ce]ll, 
ce<xb^Ab<vib,  -&3ur  con<\c  f  A03&ICA,  "  God  will  exact  an  ac- 
count from  them  in  every  advantage  He  has  given  to  them,  be- 
tween understanding,  senses,  and  worldly  prosperity:"  CU13  mfle 
ibip.  •pe-a.ri.Aib  A3ur  mnApb,  "  five  thousand,  between  men  and 
women  (i.e.,  both  men  and  women,  or  reckoning  men  and 
women)." 

24.  To  overtake. 

To  overtake  a  person  is  often  expressed  by  "to  bear  on  a  per- 
son," the  verb  beiri,  bear,  being  used  with  the  preposition  Aip.. 
Examples: — FA3bATn  at)  cuIac  ro  <^V-  e<v3l<v  50  Tn-be<\p.F<v6 
«\or>3ur  A.n  t)hno34.  ontiuinn,  "^e*  U9  leave  this  hill,  for  fear 
that  Aonghus  of  the  Brugh  would  overtake  us;"  le-Arjur  A]ri  a 
lop.3  30  p.eirnbf;xeoiC  lAb  bo'r)  2l)hCuf)Ain,  50  71113  oriJx<v  A3 
Solcoib,  "  he  follows  them  on  their  track  directly  to  Minister,  so 
that  he  overtook  them  at  Solchoid:"  30  t)ac  f:iii3j:ibfr  at)  ^onn 
Tib  ^6  30  rr)-bei|ie<vb  °D<vricriA  Sibe  opria,  "  tliat  they  might 
not  leave  that  territory  till  the  tairy  cavalcade  should  overtake 
them:"  ^<vnp<vbr<v  leAC  <x|v  <vr)  Iacaip;  ro  T)o  50  m-be^n-ip.  onm 
Ajifp.  "I  will  wait  for  thee  at  this  place  till  thou  overt  tke  me 
again:"  3AC  aot)  Aifi  a  Tt)-beAn-t:Air)ori,  " every  one  whom  I 
would  overtake"  ("  every  one  on  whom  I  would  bear"). 


PART  IV.]  IDIOMS.  101 

25.  To  win  a  game  on  a  person. 

To  win  a  game  on  a  person  is  expressed  by  "  to  put  a  game  on 
him:"  <x5ur  bo  605  OlTIO  -at)  pe-cvTi  rin,  -&5UT  txo  cuin- <m) 
cluicce  -ATI  Thionn,  "  and  Oisin  moved  that  (ctaess-)  man  and 
won  a  game  on  Finn:"  -&5UT*  T)f  nit5<xm<x|i  <xn  b^rxe  <vti  -a 
ceile,  "and  we  did  not  win  the  goal  on  each  other"  (i.e., 
"  neither  of  us  won  the  goal  on  the  other." 

26.  To  think  long,  short,  well  of,  ill  of :  to  think  hot,  cold,  hateful, 

•  &c. 

Such  phrases  as  "it  seemed  long  to  him,"  "he  thought  it  Ion  ," 
are  expressed  by  the  verb  if  and  the  preposition  le :  if  p<vb<v 
lion),  ("it  is  long  with  me"),  "it  seems  long  to  me,"  "  I  think  it 
long."  &5ur  bo  bo  -p^ba.  le  r)<v  bn&iCHpb  bo  bj  1)tv|<vm  u<vc<v, 
"and  his  brothers  thought  it  long  that  Brian  was  a  ■/ ay  from 
them"  ("it  was  long  with  his  brothers,''  &c):  -|r  olc  linn  ati 
be<xt)  npc,  "  we  think  bad  of  what  has  happened  to  tliee"  ("  it 
is  evil  with  us:"  -&.ti=a  txo, and  <v  means  "all  tbat:"  see  page  43): 
cui5imri  T)<xc  ior)TT)UVT)  leacf-cv  me  T^T),  "  I  understand  that 
thou  dost  not  love  me"  ("that  not  beloved  with  thee  am  I  my- 
self). 

Observe  the  difference  in  meaning  conveyed  by  the  two  pre- 
positions le  and  bo:  if  tti&ic  e  bo'n  b-t;e<vp.  tit),  "it  is  advan- 
tageous to  that  man  (whether  he  thinks  it  so  or  not):  IT  tt)aic  & 
\e-\x  at)  b--p e<vu-  tit),  "  that  man  thinks  it  advantageous"  (whether 
it  is  really  so  or  not).  The  following  example  shows  both  forms:—: 
b<v  tu<vic  lion)  riub<v|l,  <xcc  mon-  rb<v|C  b*m  e,  "  I  wished  to 
walk,  but  it  was  not  good  for  me." 

27.  To  wish  for:  to  like:  to  be  glad  of:  to  prefer. 

After  the  same  manner,  a  desire,  wish,  liking  for,  &c,  is  ex- 
pressed by  such  words  as  tt)1<vt),  desire;  -cvic,  pleasure;  &d,  will 
or  pleasure  &c. :  ir  &1I  liorr)  T10T*  b'p&5<\-|l,  "I  wish  to  know" 
("  it  is  a  desire,  with  me  knowledge  to  get"):  bo  cui,fxt;|T)  f.  eir) 
fuil  -at)  c<vic  rio  <vb  h-ttcc  <v  T)-ioT)<*b  bo  ful,  <vn- pe<\Ti  biob: 
bo  b'-&ic  lion)  tit),  <vfi  <xt)  boiTireoiu-,  '"I  would  put  the  eye  of 
that  cat  in  thy  lap  in  place  of  thy  eye,'  says  a  man  of  them.  'I 
would  like  that,'  says  the  door-keeper." 

The  word  Te^vp,n,  better,  is  used  in  the  same  way  to  express 
preference:  ]y  f-^f1^  lion)  bo  be<vn.bTi*\c<\in.  p*v  cuf<v,  "  I  prefer 
thy  brother  to  thyself :"  "I  would  rather  have  thy  brother  than 
thyself"  (lit.  "  thy  brother  is  better  with  me,"  &c);  bo  b'fe&n.Ti 
le  t)Tii5ib  le<vb<v]x  tt)<vic  t)&  <vin5e<vb,  "  Bri^id  would  prefer 
a  good  book  to  money"  (lit.  "a  good  book  would  be  better  with 
Brigid,"  &c  ).  The  following  example  shows  the  application  of 
both  mi<u)  and  tcatxti: — Nj  he  it  tt)1<v0  ^e1f  *W  U5b<vfi  (t)f 
mo,  ni  h-e  it  tt)1<vt)  liom-T^)  cu  bo  bpeu5<\r);  •  •  •  •  acc  vr 
e  bob'   -pe^tiTi   le-|T  TT)   (*5UT   M0TT)"r<v)   ^o   cjioibe  bo  ye<\\ 


102  IDIOMS.  [PAET   IV. 

bttjjab:  "  it  is  not  what  the  author  wishes  (neither  is  it  my  wish) 
to  amuse  thee  (cu  bo  bpeu,5<\.r))  ....  but  it  is  what  he 
would  prefer  (and  I  also,)  to  possess  thy  heart." 

TPe&pp.  followed  by  le  expresses  mental  preference  as  shown 
above:  but  peSipp.  followed  by  bo  is  equivalent  to  the  English 
expression  "better  for,"  "better  that,"  &c.  ]p  pe&pp.  bomp<\. 
-cvooir,  <vp.  Lu5,  pior  p<x  h-e<!inc<v  tib  bo  c<vb<vipc  b<voib.  Jr 
?e'<\ii]\  ce<vn<v,  <vn  pibp<vT),  "  'it  is  better  for  me  now,'  says  Lugb, 
'a  knowledge  of  that  eric  (tine)  to  give  you.'  'It  is  better  indeed,' 
say  they." 

28.  To  think  little  of— much  of— to  grudge. 

Similar  to  the  preceding  is  the  use  of  the  words  bed.5  and  mop. 
(little  and  much)  in  several  idiomatic  phrases,  which  occur  very 
frequently,  and  which  will  be  best  understood  by  the  following 
examples: — Jr  rnop  \yort)  <vp  lu<vc  hp,  "I  think  that  price  large" 
("that  price  is  large  with  me"):  op^.  bft.  rp-bepi;  m<vc  <v5uippe 
-|on<v  fuibe  p.omp<v,  nfop  be<v5  leo  bo  cuip  b*ip  m<\.pb<vb, 
"  for  it  (even)  a  child  of  us  would  be  sitting  ('in  his  sitting:'  see 
Idiom  42)  before  them,  they  would  not  deem  it  (too)  little  cause 
to  kill  us"  (lit.  "it  would  not  be  with  them  a  small  [thing]  tor  a 
cause  to  kill  us:"  for  b'<xji  Tp<vpb<\.b:  see  Idiom  1):  bap  mo 
bpiAC^p.,  <xp.  N-cqn,  T)f  be5  lipne  pinnae, "  'by  my  word,' says 
.Naisi,  '  we  do  not  think  that  small  from  thee.'" 

The  two  expressions  pr  mop  le  and  pf  be<\5  le  ("  it  is  much  with, 
it  is  not  little  with)  are  used  to  express  the  idea  of  unwillingness, 
or  grudging":  -|p  rpdfi  t|om  <\on  PIP5JP  boc<\b<vp^.c  bo,  "I  think 
it  much — 1  grudge — to  give  one  penny  to  lira."  The  very  same 
idea  is  expressed  by  pf  be<*5  liom  <xop  pmsio,  &c.,  "I  think  it 
not  little — I  grudge — one  penny,  I  think  one  penny  enough,"  &c. 
The  two  reverse  expressions  (pf  mop  le — ip  beck.5  le)  are  used  to 
express  willingness— not  grudging  &c. :  r\\  Tpon,  liotp  p<i  cpf  b<x 
po  feo  c<xb<v-|fic  fed,  "  I  do  not  think  it  much — lam  quite  willing — 
I  do  not  grudge — to  give  him  these  three  cows;"  which  might 
also  be  expressed  by  saying,  ip  t>eA5  Morr)»  &c- — "I  think  it  little 
— I  would  give  more,  I  would  have  more,  I  would  want  more;  I 
am  willing— I  do  not  grudge"  &c. — feo  bep^imib  &p.  m-bp]<x.c<vp, 
■Ap.  pi<vb,  n-cvc  be<v5  lipp  <v  m-beup<vm  50  F-jopp  bfob,  "'we 
give  our  word,'  said  they,  '  we  think  it  not  small-  we  grudge— 
what  (<v  =  all  that, — see  page  43)  we  shall  bring  of  them  to  F;nn." 
(See  Mr.  Standish  O'Grady's  note,  in  the  "  Pursuit  of  Diarmaid 
and  Grainne,"  page  140.) 

"When  mop  and  be<v5  are  used  with  the  preposition  bo,  they 
give  the  idea  of  enough  or  not  enough  for  a  person:  pfop  be<\j 
bo  (rpapbab  bap.  p-aicpe<vc)  tp&p  epi^c  timbre,  "(the  killing 
of  your  fathers)  is  not  small  to  him — is  enough  for  him — should 
suffice  for  him — as  an  eric  (fine)  from  you;"  pfop  be-&5  bwyc  <v 
b<x  bo  bpeic  6  Trpopp,  "it  was  not  little  tor  you — it  was  enough 
ior  you— to  take  away  his  cows  from  Finn." 


PAET  IT.]  IDIOMS.  103 


29.  Woe  to. 

]r  tT)<Mfi3  bon  b-^e<vri  f]t),  "woe  to  that  man"  ;  <x  n)<\-\^y, 
bo'n  bruins  soiriear  bo'r)  olc  tn^c,  "  woe  to  those  who  Chll 
evil  good."  Expressions  of  this  kind  are  sometimes  elliptical;  as, 
"if  TT)Air>5  73<xc  T)-be<vr)aT)T)COTr)<viri.le  be<v5-rf)n'a,  'iwoe  [to  him] 
who  doeth  not  the  counsel  of  a  good  wife"  (lit.  "  it  is  woe  who 
doeth  not,"  &c.). 

SO.  So  . .  as :  as  . .  as. 

"When  these  "correspondent  conjunctions"  are  expressed  in 
Irish,  the  second  one  is  usually  translated  either  by  <V5ur,  "and," 
or  by  le,  "with:"  -&5ur  <v  dub^nc  rti<v  <vn  c<vn  bo  b^ob,  <x  rbac 
corn -ari^^cc^ -*5ur  5°  Monp <xb  <v  rheuji  <\n  10b,  "and  he  said 
to  her  when  his  son  should  be  so  grown  (corn  ■arm<vccoi)  as  that 
his  finger  would  fill  the  ring"  (lit.  "so  grown  o7?c?that  his  finger," 
&c);  bo  Uf  <v  fle-a.5  corn  ne<vrn<\ri  le  rnol  rnuillinn,  "his  spear 
was  as  thick  as  the  shaft  of  a  mill''  (lit.  "  as  thick  with.'''') 

&5Uf  follows  <vrnl<xib  or  <vrhl<v  (thus,  so,  in  this  manner),  much 
in  the  same  way  as  it  follows  corn;  and  in  this  use  it  sometimes 
answers  very  nearly  to  "viz.:"  <vr  <vrnl<v|b  bo  pu^ifi  N-a^r] 
<xc<xr  Oeinbne,  oc<vr  <vn  CenncoieTT)  ec<vrin<v,  "it  is  thus 
ho  found  Naisi  and  Deirdve,  and  the  Cenn-chaemh  (a  kind  of  chess- 
board) between  them."  (Meaning,  "it  was  thus  he  found,  viz., 
with  the  Cenn-chaemh  between  them. 

SI.  Every  other  day :  every  second  day:  every  alternate  day. 

Phrases  like  these  are  often  expressed  in  Irish  by  the  indefinite 
pronoun  5<xc,  followed  by  the  preposition  le  or  ne.  5<vc  le 
Corbn<*.c  01.5  bul  curn  ce<vmpo]ll,  "  going  to  the  church  every 
other  (or  every  alternate)  Sunday;  T)<i  rrif  ru5^e  T10  bo  Chu-a.- 
t-A^b  be  D^ri<xT)j)  bo  bf  1  b-pl-cv-iqor  'Cirie<vnr)  5<\c  ne 
rn-bli<v5<vin,  "these  three  kings  of  the  Tuatha  De  Danann  were 
in  the  sovereignty  of  Erin  every  other  year"  (i.e.,  each  for  a 
year). 

33.  The  Head. 

The  word  for  head  is  used  in  Irish,  as  it  is  in  most  languages,  in 
a  great  variety  of  idiomatic  phrases.  Some  have  been  already 
noticed  among  the  compound  prepositions;  and  these  and  others 
will  be  understood  from  the  following  examples: — 

Zi  5-ceanr)  bliabn<v,  "at  the  end  of  a  year;"  bo  bf  n<vb  ^ 
5-ce<\T)n  n<v  ^<vicce,  "they  were  at  the  end  of  the  field."  & 
bub<vinc  N<\.ifl  le  h-?lrib<vr)  bul  <v|n  ceoinn  Ten  5111  r,  "  Naisi 
said  to  Ardan  to  go  lor  Fergus"  ("  to  go  on  the  head  of  Fergus'): 
■pillre  A-|n  <v  5-ce<v.T)n,  "turn  thou  back  for  them"  ("'on  their 
head").  0  r)<vc  Itom  bul  on  5-conc<vbAinc  ro  <vm  ce<vr>r),  "  since 
I  am  not  able  to   escape  from   this   danger  [that  lies]  before  me" 


104  IDIOMS.  [PART  IV. 

(<xtt)  ce<vrjr),  "in  my  head"  =  before  me).  12<xcp<vb  <vb  ce<vt)r), 
<v  T\)]T)x),  <v5ur  <v  5-ce<vnn  t)<v  'Feipne,  "  I  wiil  go  to  thee  (or  be- 
fore thee),  O  Finn,  and  to  the  Feni"  ("  in  thy  head  and  in  the 
head  of  the  Feni").  &c&x  beifiib  bu<v]6  <vc<xr  beryr)<vcc<v|r)  b& 
cenn,  "and  bear  ye  victory  and  blessing  on  its  account"  (b*v  cei)T), 
"from  its  head").  C<v]i  ce<v.Tyn  3urt  f<xoil  <xr)  co-|ce<x.c  r)<vc  rt<v|b 
b<vo5-al  -&ri  b]i  <vri  ■peii),  "  although  the  rich  man  thought  that 
there  was  no  danger  at  all  to  (i.e.,  ol)  himself"  (c<xri  ce<xi)T)  3ttn, 
"over  the  head  that"  =  although).  J r  -|or)5n<v  bu^cre  -an  3ri<xb 
rir)  bo  c<vb<vi|ic  barhr<v  cart  ce<vT)t)  FhlOO,  <vri  Di<irtrt)<vib  "  'it 
is  a  wonder  for  thee  to  give  that  love  to  me  instead  of  (to)  Finn,' 
says  Diarmaid"  (c-art  ce<vpr)  "Fbinn,  "  over  the  head  of  Finn," 
in  preference  to  Finn,  instead  of  Finn). 

33.  A  proper  noun  with  the  genitive  of  a  noun  of  office.* 

When  a  proper  noun  is  followed  by  a  noun  in  the  genitive  signi- 
fying a  profession,  office,  trade,  or  calling,  the  resulting  phrase  iias 
a  curious  idiomatic  meaning. 

Se<v5<\T)  at)  f:i5e<vbori<x,  which  is,  word  for  word,  "  John  ot  the 
weaver,"  means  in  reality  "John  (the  son,  son-in-law,  servant,  or 
some  other  close  connection)  ot  the  weaver;"  Se<v5<xn  n<v  b<vir>- 
crie-cvb<vi5e,  "John  (the  son,  &c.)  of  the  widow." 

If,  while  the  proper  name  is  in  the  nominative,  the  second  noun 
is  also  in  the  nominative,  the  meaning  is  quite  different,  the  second 
noun  being  then  simply  in  apposition  to  the  first;"  thus  "Feri5ur 
<vr)  rh-cvoip.  (gen.)  is  "Fergus  (the  son,  &c.)  of  the  steward." 

Suppose,  now,  you  have  to  express  in  Irish  such  a  phrase  as 
"the  house  of  Fergus,  the  steward,"  in  which  the  propername 
must  be  in  the  genitive:  as  the  two  nouns  are  in  apposition,  the 
seccnd,  according  to  a  rule  of  Syntax  (Rule  6,  p.  80,)  should  also 
be  in  the  genitive:  cewc  fheri^uir  <vn  rr)<voifi.  But  here  is  an 
ambiguity;  for,  according  to  the  present  idiom,  this  expression 
would  also  mean,  "the  house  of  Fergus  (the  son,  &c.)  of  the 
fteward."  To  avoid  this  ambiguity,  a  disagreement  in  case  is 
allowed  in  gnch  expressions,  between  the  two  nouns,  when  they 
are  in  apposition.  Thus,  "the  house  of  Fergus,  the  steward"  is 
ce<yc  Thep.,5uir  rnaori(in  which  'Fber^uir  is  genitive  and  ro<*.ori 
nominative);  wheieas  ce*c  T\)eyi^\X]]'  <xr>  tba.oiri  is  understood 
to  mean  "the  house  of  Fergus  (the  son,  &c.)  of  the  steward." 
So  in  Dr.  MacHale's  translation  of  Homer,  the  first  two  lines  are 
rendered : — 

Driuc  &cupl  reinn,  615  r)e<vrnb<x,  <\,'r  bu<vn  ■pe<vri3. 
?Vcu]l  rr)]c  Pe^l,  at)  5<xir3lbe<xc  ceinnce-ac  5<vri5. 

"The  wrath  of  Achilles  sing,  O  heavenly  virgin,    and  his  enduring 

*  1  he  substance  of  this  explanation  and  the  illustrative  examples 
have  been  taken  from  an  interesting  Essay  on  the  present  state  of  the 
Irish  language  in  Munster,  written  and  sent  to.  the  Royal  Irish  Acad- 
emy by  Mr.  John  Fleming,  of  Rathgormack. 


PART  IT.]  IDI0M9.  105 

anger,  of  Achilles,  son  of  Peleus,  the  fiery  fierce  hero.'''1  Here  the 
last  noun  5<v|r5i6eoic,  with  its  two  adjectives,  is  in  the  nozaina- 
tive,  while  &cupl,  with  which  it  is  in  apposition,  is  genitive. 

In  the  first  example,  Rule  7,  Syntax,  bear)  Shea^ait)  at) 
■pi5e<vb6fi<v,  accordingly,  is  not  "the  wite  of  John  the  weaver," 
hut  "the  wife  of  John  (son  &c.)  of  the  weaver;"  the  wife  of  John 
the  weaver,  would  be  expressed  by  beat)  Sheasain  pi5e<vb6|ri. 

34.  Possession. 

There  is  no  verb  in  Irish  corresponding  to  the  English  verb  "  to 
have"  as  expressing  possession;  and  the  sentence  "the  maa  has  a 
book,"  is  expressed  in  Irish  by  the  verb  c&  and  the  preposition 
as,  in  tnis  form,  ca  le-o.b-a.ri  -a.5  at)  bvqne,  "a  book  is  at  (ur  with) 
the  man:"  ca  airijeab  -o^urn  ("niooey  is  with  me"),  "I  have 
money  ;"'  q<v  be  a$  b-^uil  aip^eab  ("whoever  with  whom  is 
money"),  "  whoever  has  money."  Nf  ^eib^i  le  bup}e  at)  \)]6 
t)ac  rn-befbeab  -a^e  bo  caba^c  u<v]b,  <v5ur  t)j  b-£iv|l  bo- 
tftapbeace  asutnra,  "it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  give  away 
what  he  does  not  himself  possess,  and  I  do  not  possess  immortal- 
ity" (word-for-word:  "it  is  not  possible  for  a  man  the  thing 
which  would  not  be  with  him  to  give  from  him,  and  not  is  im- 
mortality with  rnysell").  Do  <v|5el  Concubaji  Dopac  acar  bo 
f1<vpriai5  be  at)  riapb"  pleb  ollarb  a^e  bo,  "Oonchobhar  ad- 
dressed Borach  and  inquired  of  him  whether  he  had  a  feast  pre- 
pared for  him"  (lit.  "  whether  a  feast  was  ready  with  him  [i.e. 
Borach]  for  him  [i.e.,  Oonchobhar."]  ). 

The  use  of  pronouns  in  this  idiom  sometimes  gives  rise  to  fur- 
ther idiomatic  complications.  C]a  aslope  0.5  a  b-fUfl  at) 
pfrtinrje  ?  "  Which  of  us  has  the  truth?"  This,  is  word  tor  word, 
"  Which  of  us  with  whom  is  the  truth  ?"  and  the  interrogative 
appears  without  any  government  or  other  syntactical  connection. 
Some  good  authorities  believe  that  the  preposition  <x-5  in  this  con- 
struction governs  not  oaly  the  relative  a,  but  also,  by  a  sort  of  at- 
traction, the  interrogative  cia.  Ca  beat)  ede  a  t)-eocaill  a 
b-puil  afCf  corioin  -aiji,  "there  is  another  woman  in  Youghal 
who  lias  a  crown  on  him"  (i.e.,  to  whom  he  owes  a  crown:  Iuiom 
16)  Here,  also,  there  is  an  apparent  redundancy,  the  act  of 
"having"  being  expressed  doubly,  namely,  both  by  the  relative  -a 
before  b-futil,  and  by  apq;  and  the  relative,  according  to  the 
same  authority,  would  be  governed  by  the  preposition  aj  of  a-jef. 
The  sentence  may  be  expressed  without  redundancy  in  this  manner: 
— Ca  beat)  e]le  a  i)-eocaill  aj  a  b--pu.il  con.6]t)  aip,  The 
last  example  exactly  resembles  the  English  "there  is  a  man  in 
Dublin  whom  I  owe  a  pound  to  him:"  and  perhaps  it  would  be 
better  to  consider  it,  like  the  English  sentence,  merely  as  bad 
grammar,  which  is  to  be  avoided  by  using  a  different  form  of  ex- 
pression in  the  manner  shown.  The  apparent  redundancy  of  the 
first  example,  which  is  from  a  good  authority,  cannot,  however,  be 
got  rid  of  in  this  way.    So  also  in,  qa  leu*  at)  ceac  x]V  ("  who 


106  IDIOMS.  [PAET  IV 

owns  that  bouse"),  the  le  of  le^r  would  appear  to  govern  the  pro- 
noun with  which  it  is  combined,  and  also  the  interrogative  q<v. 

35.  Ownership. 

Ownership  is  expressed  by  the  verb  if  and  the  preposition  le, 
with;  if  le<xcr<v  <xp  re<xc,  "the  house  belongs  to  thee"  (lit.  "it 
is  with  thee  the  house");  if  letn'  -a.c-A.ifi  t)a  bA  f\r),  "those  cows 
belong  to  my  father"  ("it  is  with  my  father  those  cows");  q<\. 
lepr  pa  bA  TIT),  "  who  owns  those  cows?"  ("who  with  him  [are] 
those  cows?")  Oi|v  ir  le  T)e<xcei5ir)  bo  ChuACA  De  0<lt)<\t)t) 
Pa  tpuca,  "  for  the  pigs  belong  to  some  person  of  the  Tuatha  De 
Danann."  (A  wizard  holds  a  golden  branch  in  his  hand,  and 
King  Cormac  asks  him)  -At)  le<\c  pe]p  -at)  cpAob  f]p ?  "Does 
that  branch  belong  to  thyself  ?" 

Observe  the  distinction  between  this  idiom  and  the  last  in  the 
following  sentence: — Ca  Ap^eAb  50  leop  -A5<vb,  acc  nj  leAC 
p  eip  e,  "  thou  hast  plenty  of  money,  but  it  does  not  belong  to 
thyself." 

36.  Wanting  a  thing. 

The  idea  of  wanting  a  thing,  including  a  wish  to  get  it,  is  usually 
expressed  by  the  verb  ca  and  the  preposition  6,  from;  cA  leAbAp. 
UApT),  "I  want  a  book"  (lit.,  "a  book  is  from  me;''  cpeub  aca 
ttAic?"  "  What  dost  thou  want?*' 

37.  Genitive  plurals  of  Personal  Pronouns. 

Each  of  the  three  prepositional  pronouns,  A5Ap^p,  A^Apb,  -aca, 
has  two  different  meanings,  which  are  always  easily  distin- 
guished by  the  context: — 

1.  Possession,  as  in  Idiom  34:  Do  bf  leAbApp  -aca,  "they  had 
books." 

2.  The  sense  of  a  genitive  plural  when  following  words  denoting 
a  part:  5AC  peAp.  Asump,  "each  man  of  us /'  fio  eip.15  <vn 
bapA  peAp  ACOpAp  bo  beAi)ATp  ap  cleAf-A,  "the  second  man 
ff  them  (ACor<u),  "of  themselves")  arose  to  perform  the  feat :" 
cfA. -A,5iiinne  A5  a.  b-f  itfl  ap  f.*fp.iT)ne,  Aft  "Fjopp,  "'  which  of  us 
has  the  truth,'  says  $mn"  (A5  a  B-ptql,  "  with  whom  is"—"  has:" 
see  Idiom  34). 

38.  To  give  a  name. 

To  give  a  name  to  a  thing  is  often  expressed  in  Irish  by  to  put  a 
name  on  it :  tt)a|v  50  cctt5CAjv  bA  Bapciiacac  Afp  Dhecofll 
A5iir  a] p.  Dl)AHApp,  "as  (the  name)  '  two  ladies' was  put  on 
Bechoill  and  Danann:  i.e.,  as  they  "were  called  '  two  ladies.' " 
20  Ap  50  b-cu5  cleAp  <x]jx  Ap  5-cleAr  pp},  "as  he  called  that  . 
feat   'a  feat:'"  (lit.  "as  that  he  put  [the  name]  'feat'   on  that 

feat"). 

Sometimes,  also,  to  give  such  and  such  a  name  to  a  thing  is  ex- 
pressed by  "to  say  such  and  such  a  name  with  a  thing  :"  Por-ba,- 


PAET   IV.]  IDIOMS.  107 

f  aileac  TUT*  *  n&lbce-ap.  ltip^)peac  apiu,  "  Ros-da-shaileach, 
■which  is  called  Limerick  now''  (lit.  "  Ros-da-shaileach  with  which 
is  said  'Limerick' now"). 

39.  Oe  after  comparatives. 

The  prepositional  pronoun  be,  "of  it,"  is  often  prefixed  to  com- 
paratives, giving  rise  to  some  idiomatic  phrases.  2V,5Uf  310T)  50 
b-pupl  cuio  <v,^uir)t)  bo  rbaribab  Oiapmaba,  pf  moibe  bo, 
5eubab  (?Von5ur)  ap  -pip^ppe  u<\prp,  "  and  although  we  have  no 
part  in  killing  L>iarraaid,  Aongus  would  not  the  more  receive  the 
truth  from  us"  (here  m6|be  is  be  added  to  rnd,  the  comparative 
of  mdrt,  gieat:  for5iop  30  ="  although  not:"  see  Idiom  11).  Jr 
■pur-^lbe  b'Fhmpp  &n  lop5pa  leaparhaip,  <vp  eacpa  beic 
-cvjAlpn,  "it  is  the  easier  for  .b'inn  to  follow  our  track  that  we 
have  the  horses"  (puraibe  =  be  after  pura,  comparative  of 
ptipur,  easy):  i.e.,  "our  having  the  horses  makes  it  easier  for 
Fiun,"  &c. 

4IO.  "A  man  of  great  strength." 

"A  man  of  great  strength,"  is  expressed  by  the  Irish  -pe<vTi  1T 
mop  peapc,  which,  translated  word  for  word,  is  "a  man  (who) 
is  great  strength:"  the  words  mop  pearin  being  in  the  nomina- 
tive, and  not  in  the  genitive,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  Eng- 
lish u  of  great  strength,"  This  idiom  is  extremely  common  in 
Irish,  the  verb  if  in  soma  of  its  forms  being  always  used;  and, 
when  translating  it,  remember  that  the  Irish  words  -though  in 
the  nominative  case — convey  the  exact  sense  of  the  genitive  with 
"of"  in  English,  and  must  be  rendered  accordingly.  Klf  p.ap5  a. 
3-c6rbaimnp  pir  peap.  ba  rnd  dp  <x.3ur  aiP3eab  ina.  Op*p- 
maib,  "  there  was  not  at  the  same  time  with  him  a  man  who  had 
more  gold  and  silver  than  Diarmaid"  (lit.  "a  man  [vho]  was 
greater  gold  and  silver,"  i.e.,  "  a  man  who  was  of  greater  gold 
and  silver.")  Do  beapcar  <vp  bepi  ba  pparhba  cpvtc,  "I  saw  a 
lady  (of)  bright  shape;"  Calaii)  ba  peapp.  bpAb  -a^ur  beoc,  "a 
land  (of)  the  best  food  and  drink;  "  0|rlP  ba  cpeup  peapc  -a'r 
luc,  "  Oisin  of  mighty  strength  and  vigor." 

Sometimes  the  preposition  50  (with)  is  used  instead  of  the  verb  : 
as,  -peap.  50  mop  peapc,  "  a  man  with  great  strength,"  i.e.,  "a 
man  of  great  strength." 

41.  A  wish. 

"  I  wish  I  had  such  and  such  a  thing,"  is  often  expressed  in  Irish 
by  some  such  form  of  phrase  as,  "Alas,  that  I  have  not  got  it!" 
the  word  5ap  being  generally  used  as  the  negative  particle.  &f* 
cp.u<vi5  5<vp  peACvx. 'p  rhaoip  <v5um!  "I  wish  I  had  the  shep- 
herd's pet !"  (Here  <xr  epulis,  "it  is  pity  ="  alas!"  -a^um  is 
used  to  denote  possession,  with  its  verb  understood — Idiom  34: 
and  the  word-for-word  translation  is  "it  is  pity  not  the  pet  of 
the  shepherd  with  me."  &  01)ia  5ap  me  am'  -abapMfp,  "  I  wish 
I  were  an  apple"  ("  O  God,  I  not  an  apple" — or  "in  my  apple.") 


APPENDIX. 
Additional  Examples  of  Declensions. 


FIRST   DECLENSION. 

Dfte<vc,  a  trout. 

Singular.  Plural. 

N.  bjie<xc.  bnic. 

G.  bfiic  bp.e<xc. 

D.  bfie<xc.  bfieacvxib. 

V.  <x  bfqc.  <v  bfie<xc<v. 

SECOND   DECLENSION. 

Cor,  afoot. 
N.  cor.  cor<x. 

G.  co]ye.  cor. 

D.  co^r.  cor<vib. 

THIRD   DECLENSION. 

Tljje-aboifi,  a  weaver;  misc. 
E".  -pi5e<vboi|i.     -pi5e<xb6irii5e 
G.  fi5e<xb6rx<v.    Fi^eaboiri. 
D.  -pi5e<vbd|Ti.     pi^e-cvbdifiib. 

?k.c<xi|t,  a  father  ;  masc. 
N.  <xc-Ain..  -cvicjxe,  ^cjie- 

<VC<V. 

G.  <Jic<xfi.  <vir|ie<vc. 

D.  <xc<vijv.  -aiciae-acAib. 

(9.U&c<vtjt,     a     motlier,    and 

byi&c*ufior  be<vnbft*vc<xirx. 

a  brother,   are   declined  in 

the  same  way.) 

l3li<\b<xiT),  a  year  ;  fern. 
N.  bliAb<vir>.        bli<v6<vT)c<v. 
G.  bli<\bn<v.  bli<\b<vn. 

D.  bli<xbo.-|7).         bli<xb<vnc<x]b. 

?V-|t>tt),  a  name. 

N.  <\iT)rr).  <M)rr)<\t)T)<x. 

G.  •Ainnxj,   <vi)-     <jn)n)<vt)r). 
it)<v. 

D.   -A1I)MJ.  <VI)Tt)<V1)l)Alb. 


FOURTH   DECLENSION. 

Ce^ne,  afire. 

Singular.  Plural. 

N".  ceme.  ceince. 

G.  ce]T)e.  ceine<xb. 

D.  cejne.  ceinqb. 

G|i}ft),  a  little  bird. 
1ST.  einfn.  6ii)foi6e. 

G.  emtn.  eiDfn. 

D.  e\x)\x).  einfoib. 

FIFTH    DECLENSION. 

l*vn<vri)A,  a  married  couple. 

N.   l<\T)ATt)a.  1&T)<VTT)T)<V. 

G    1&T)ATT)<XT).         l&r)ATT)AT). 

D.  l^T)<xTr)\x-|r).     l&n<\.tt)naib 

IRREGULAR   NOUNS. 

5<x,  a  spear. 

5<\oice. 

Q--  5<M>  5A01-      5Aei     5ae£<vb, 

5AOice<vb. 
D.  5<x,  3<vl  3<^oib,  5e<xc<xib 

5<voir]b. 

Cfid,  a  hut,  a  sheepfold. 

N".  cjid.  ctiAOjce,  cjid]- 

ce. 
G.  c^d.  c|id. 

D.  cfid.  CTv<voicib,  Cfv6|- 

V.  <v  6|to.  <x    cfiaoire    -a 

cti6)ce. 

Sl^&b,  a  mountain. 

NT.  rli<vb.  rleibce. 

G.  rleibe.  rleibce^b. 

D.  rli-<vb.  rleibqb. 


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